GHGA Teams Gather at Kloster Schöntal for Annual Retreat

The GHGA Retreat 2025, held from April 7–9 at the serene Schöntal Monastery, brought together over 60 members of the GHGA consortium for three days of strategic exchange, focused workshops, and collaborative planning.

Set against the historic backdrop of the monastery, the retreat provided a valuable in-person opportunity for the GHGA team members and PI from across Germany to align on the next phase of GHGA. With a packed agenda spanning updates on current developments around the GHGA Data Portal, legal and ethical frameworks, international collaborations, patient communication, and future functionalities, the retreat proved to be both productive and inspiring.

A Look Back at the Highlights

The retreat opened with a strategic overview of GHGA’s progress and direction, including insights into the technical roadmap for the GHGA Data Portal, and international integration within FEGA, GDI, EOSC, and ELIXIR. Legal implications for data sharing within the European Health Data Space (EHDS) were also explored in depth.

Later sessions focused on patient communication, training initiatives, and perspectives from data producers and data hubs. The evening concluded with a series of talks on associated projects, such as the ITCC pediatric cancer data portal, and future work on SPEs (Secure Processing Environments) and epigenetic research, before everyone gathered in the historic Abt Knittel Keller for a relaxed close to the day.

Day 2 shifted to a hands-on format, featuring parallel workshops on key components of the second funding phase of GHGA. Topics included:

  • Future functionalities of the GHGA Data Portal
  • Community-driven research projects and data services
  • The development path for SPEs
  • Innovative approaches to patient communication

In the afternoon, participants enjoyed a guided tour of the monastery and its grounds—an opportunity to pause, reflect, and connect informally before diving back into discussions.

The final day was dedicated to workstream alignment. With all core teams—from Architecture to Outreach—present on-site, this session enabled intensive internal planning and cross-functional collaboration. In their dual role as genome data centers (GRZ) operators within the genomDE model project, colleagues from the GHGA Data Hubs also convened to discuss progress and explore synergies in this flagship initiative of the National Strategy for Genomic Medicine.

Building Momentum for the Future

Beyond the structured sessions, the retreat emphasised collaboration and community. Evenings spent in the historic Abt Knittel Keller and shared meals fostered connections that will strengthen cross-institutional work moving forward.

Our sincere thanks go out to all contributors for their engagement, insights, and vision. The outcomes of this retreat lay a strong foundation for the months ahead as we collectively build GHGA — scalable, secure, and service-oriented.

Let’s keep this momentum going.