LIFE WATCH is a European plan to link ecological monitoring data collected from marine and terrestrial environments with the vast amount of data in physical collections. The new infrastructure will open up new areas of research and new services by providing access to the large data sets from different (genetic, population, species and ecosystem) levels of biodiversity together with analytical and modelling tools. Following a positive evaluation of this plan, the European Commission decided in July 2007 to start negotiations for funding of a preparatory phase leading to final decisions about the establishment of the research infrastructure. LIFE WATCH plans to construct and bring into operation the facilities, hardware and software and governance structures to create a biodiversity research infrastructure with: infrastructure networks for data generation and processing facilities for data integration and interoperability virtual laboratories with analytical and modelling tools Service Centre for users and to promote research opportunities LIFE WATCH is an initiative in response to the new EU policy for a coordinated approach in the field of research infrastructures. The European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) supports the policy development, and acts as an incubator for concrete initiatives in Seventh Research Framework Plan