This is the first volume of the FAIRmat newsletter, which is published every six months. The FAIRmat newsletter includes project updates and recent milestones, introduction and opinion articles on topics in research data management and data infrastructures and insights into our community, including both our staff and users of our software and services. For those already involved in the project, the newsletter provides an update on what is happening in our different Tasks or working groups. For those new to FAIRmat, it offers current insight into the project’s goals, team and methods.