First services for researchers as EMPHASIS moves into implementation phase

Earlier this year, EMPHASIS has reached an important milestone: the establishment of the Interim General Assembly (IGA), a board of ten countries that have formally declared their intention of moving EMPHASIS towards operation. 

The aim of EMPHASIS is to integrate all European countries, and the IGA is open for participation of any further countries willing to work towards its setup. The IGA meeting in April 2020 marked the launch of the implementation phase which bridges the preparation of EMPHASIS to full operation. 

In 2016, EMPHASIS was listed in the ESFRI Roadmap, and in 2017, the Preparatory Phase of EMPHASIS started within the framework of the H2020-supported project EMPHASIS-PREP. During the current implementation period, the long-term legal framework of EMPHASIS will be developed and pilot services will be tested. The IGA acts as a main decision-making body on all strategic aspects with high-level importance for the future of EMPHASIS. Once it is fully operational, EMPHASIS will enable researchers to use facilities, resources and services for plant phenotyping across Europe.

Plant researchers can already benefit from the first services