Following previous work and recommendations from the FAIRsFAIR project[1], a community working paper and findings from the EOSC Association Task Force on Long-term Data Preservation[2], the FIDELIS project[3] aims to establish a European TDR Network that would be able to build a community, foster harmonisation and interoperability of trustworthiness and relevant technology and provide training and support. This report provides a summary of the results of the first phase of Pillar 2 activity on the FIDELIS Network’s Governance & Business model; preparing and initiating the Network. It describes how the Network was established and its membership developed, which project and membership driven activities took place in the 6 months the Network can be considered active and key observations from the work executed towards the Network’s future governance and business model. It includes observations and lessons learned which will serve as input for the work in the next year of the project. [1] http://www.fairsfair.eu (FAIRsFAIR “Fostering FAIR Data Practices In Europe”; funded via EU Horizon H2020-INFRAEOSC-2018-2020; Grant agreement 831558) [2] Conzett et al. (2022). Towards a European network of FAIR-enabling Trustworthy Digital Repositories (TDRs) - A Working Paper (v2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7034315 [3] https://eden-fidelis.eu (funded via EU Horizon Europe HORIZON-INFRA-2024-EOSC-01-03; Grant agreement ID: 101188078)