Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Building Open Research Infrastructure: Connecting the Lab Bench to Computational Analysis with RSpace & Galaxy
January 31, 2026
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Add to calendar
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Add to calendar
K.4.601
<p>Modern research workflows are often fragmented, requiring scientists to navigate a complex path from the lab bench to computational analysis. The journey typically involves documenting experiments in an electronic lab notebook and then manually transferring data to a separate computational platform for analysis. This process creates inefficiencies, introduces errors, and complicates provenance tracking. To address this challenge, we have developed a tight, two-way integration between two open-source solutions: RSpace, a research data management platform and ELN, and Galaxy, a web-based platform for accessible, reproducible computational analysis. By connecting two open-source platforms, we're building truly open research infrastructure that institutions can adapt to their specific needs while maintaining full control over their research data. </p>
<p>The integration's foundational step makes RSpace a native repository within Galaxy, enabling researchers to browse their RSpace Gallery and import data directly into Galaxy histories. This connection is bidirectional; not only can data be pulled into Galaxy but also selected outputs or even entire histories can be exported back to RSpace. This creates a seamless FAIR data flow that preserves the critical link between experimental results and their computational context. </p>
<p>Building on this foundation, the integration has been further extended to allow researchers to initiate analysis directly from RSpace. By selecting data attached to a document and clicking a Galaxy icon, users upload it into a fresh, systematically-annotated Galaxy history that traces the data to its experimental source. This allows to document field work, launch a complex analysis, monitor its progress, and import the results, all while maintaining a clear and auditable link between the initial data and documentation and the outputs of the final computational analysis. </p>
<p>This partnership between two open-source platforms represents a significant stride towards more open, integrated, cohesive research infrastructure that institutions can build upon, reducing friction so scientists can focus on discovery rather than data logistics. Future developments will focus on improving the native repository integration, automated reporting of results back to RSpace, enhanced RO-Crate support for standardized metadata exchange, and improved templating in RSpace for sharing and reusing specific workflow configurations.</p>
<ul>
<li>https://galaxyproject.org/</li>
<li>https://www.researchspace.com/</li>
<li>https://galaxyproject.org/news/2025-02-27-rspace-talk/</li>
<li>https://galaxyproject.org/news/2025-06-23-rspace-integration/</li>
<li>https://www.researchspace.com/blog/rspace-galaxy-filesource-integration</li>
<li>https://www.researchspace.com/blog/rspace-adds-galaxy-integration</li>
<li>https://documentation.researchspace.com/article/zzsl46jo5y-galaxy</li>
</ul>
Additional information
| Live Stream | https://live.fosdem.org/watch/k4601 |
|---|---|
| Type | devroom |
| Language | English |
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