Our mission is to make neuroimaging data truly FAIR—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable—by setting shared standards, tools, and ethical guidelines for data sharing. INDoS connects experts across Europe to improve data quality, transparency, and legal clarity, empowering researchers to share and reuse neuroimaging data efficiently and responsibly. Together, we’re building a more open, reproducible, and innovative future for brain research.
About COST Action
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. COST Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.
About INDoS
Improving Neuroimaging Data for Sharing (INDoS) is a European COST Action dedicated to transforming how human neuroimaging data is shared, standardized, and reused. Neuroimaging methods like MRI, MEG and EEG are essential for advancing brain research, but data sharing is often hindered by inconsistent quality standards, missing metadata, unclear legal frameworks, and non-standardized preprocessing. INDoS brings together experts from across Europe and beyond to address these four key challenges: quality assessment and control, metadata standardization, preprocessing pipelines, and ethical and legal guidelines. By strengthening collaboration between researchers, software developers, data stewards, and legal experts, the Action aims to make neuroimaging data more transparent, interoperable, and reusable.
Through coordinated networking, the Action will develop guidelines, tools, training materials, and best practices that support FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) neuroimaging data sharing. It will build bridges between disciplines, foster a pan-European community, and train the next generation of researchers in open science practices. Ultimately, INDoS will enhance reproducibility, accelerate innovation—including AI applications—reduce research costs, and make neuroimaging research more inclusive and efficient across Europe and beyond.
Key Objectives
- Establish shared standards for data quality Develop and promote guidelines for quality assessment and control (QA/QC) across neuroimaging modalities to ensure transparent, reliable, and reusable data.
- Enhance metadata practices Improve the description and annotation of neuroimaging data and experimental information to make datasets more findable, interoperable, and reusable.
- Standardize preprocessing pipelines Define and disseminate rational, well-documented preprocessing procedures to improve reproducibility and facilitate data integration across studies and sites.
- Clarify ethical and legal frameworks Develop practical guidelines and training to help researchers navigate privacy regulations and ethical considerations while sharing human neuroimaging data responsibly.
- Build a pan-European network Connect researchers, software developers, data stewards, and legal experts to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of interoperable tools.
- Promote training and capacity building Create high-quality training materials, workshops, and opportunities for young researchers to strengthen skills in open science and neuroimaging data sharing.
- Support dissemination and adoption Ensure that the Action’s outputs—guidelines, tools, and standards—are widely communicated, openly accessible, and adopted by the neuroimaging community and beyond.
- Advance FAIR and open science Contribute to a shift toward more transparent, efficient, and ethical research practices in neuroimaging, aligning with European and international open science goals.
News and Updates
Stay tuned for the latest news, events, and publications.