CETAF working groups bring experts from our community together around questions of key relevance for our field.
Our 10 working groups are where CETAF professionals come together to share experiences, exchange perspectives and drive progress on the topics that make a difference to our community and its broader impact.
Established Working Groups
Information Science & Technology Commission
Developing technical services for our community
The Information Science & Technology Commission (ISTC) facilitates dialogue and collaboration between the IT departments of CETAF member and non-member institutions to ensure institutional interoperability through the development of common informatics infrastructures, best practices recommendations, and standards. The group works towards compatibility of components for digital information exchange and sharing, through procedural changes and adaptations to IT systems. Members of the ISTC officially represent IT or Biodiversity Informatics departments of CETAF institutions.
The ISTC plays an essential role in knowledge transfer between CETAF member organisations, in ensuring the sustainability of data services and the widest possible use of existing open-source software components. The group was established as a technical working group of the EU-funded project European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT) and was integrated into CETAF in 2011.
Coordinator: Anton Güntsch (BGBM Berlin, DE)
Training and e-Learning Group
Capacity building for online education on taxonomy
The CETAF Training and e-Learning in Taxonomy Group works to develop a vision for e-learning within CETAF and to provide a Virtual Learning Environment in Taxonomy. It does this through exchanging experiences and good practices in internet-based education.
The group also investigates the possibilities for developing a system of training certificates and recognition at EU level for the educational activities of CETAF members.
Coordinator: Iasmi Stathi and Katerina Voreadou (Natural History Museum of Crete)
e-Publishing Working Group
Supporting our online scientific publishing
The e-Publishing Working Group supports scientific online publishing and open access. Its work plan focuses on networking and sharing experiences, addressing CETAF’s strategic objectives for publishing, and organizing joint workshops on relevant topics and technical developments.
Key themes include impact factors, publishing activity statistics from CETAF members, analysis of institutional open access policies, and proposals for exchange programs, print-on-demand solutions, and broader Open Access initiatives.
Coordinators: Laurence Benichou (MNHN Paris, FR) and Isabelle Gérard (RMCA Tervuren, BE)
Earth Science Group
Bringing visibility to our earth science collections
The Earth Science Group (ESG) works to advance the understanding of Earth systems by improving access to, and the quality of, Earth science collections and their data. These collections — fossils, minerals, and rocks — are essential resources for interpreting Earth’s history and processes, and for addressing today’s global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the sustainable management of natural resources.
ESG promotes collaboration across institutions, increases the visibility of collections, and drives improvements in data standards and collection databases to ensure that data are fully interoperable and FAIR. The group also shares knowledge and best practices on curation, legislation, fieldwork, preparation, and restoration. Ultimately, ESG envisions a future where Earth science collections are used to their full potential in cutting-edge research, supporting both science and society.
Coordinator: Laura Tilley (CETAF GS, Brussels, BE)
Legislation and Regulations Group
A strong voice for policy in our community
The Legislation and Regulations Group gathers information on regulations and legislation potentially affecting CETAF members research activities or operations. It also represents CETAF as relevant stakeholder at the science-policy interface. It engages directly with regulatory body such as the European Commission, the CBD Secretariat, or other relevant stakeholders. It takes action to ensure that the voice of CETAF members is heard at the European and on international level.
The group also works on how our organisations can manage their legal obligations and offers training. In 2019, the group’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice for Access and Benefit-Sharing was officially recognised by the European Commission as the first best practice on access and benefit-sharing.
Coordinator: Dirk Neumann (LIB, Museum of Nature, Hamburg, DE)
Advisory Group
European Projects Advisory Group
Sourcing European funding opportunities for our institutions
The European Projects Advisory Group (EPAG) serves as CETAF’s central hub for information and advice on European funding opportunities, particularly in biodiversity and taxonomic research. Working closely with CETAF’s General Secretariat, EPAG simplifies access to EU funding by helping institutions, especially those with limited internal capacity, navigate opportunities, build partnerships, and develop joint project proposals.
It also fosters collaboration among CETAF members and shares expertise through initiatives such as Horizon Europe, COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), and Marie Curie Actions. In the long term, EPAG aims to be the go-to resource for all EU-funded initiatives within CETAF.
Coordinator: Ana Casino (CETAF GS, Brussels, BE) and Marko Lovric (CETAF GS, Brussels, BE)