The External Advisory Board (EAB) provides strategic oversight and expert guidance to the consortium, focusing on the data management and analysis framework. Our objective is to ensure research rigor and collaboration potential. We review the Data Coordinating Center’s (DCC) plan for Cores 1 and 2, which supports U01 data identification, harmonization, and submission to meet NDA data standards. We also evaluate Data Analysis Core 3 strategies for advanced analyses, cross-site harmonization, bias reduction, and federated learning. While respecting the specific Aims of each U01, the EAB advises on how to best identify and leverage commonalities across all sites to maximize the consortium’s collective impact. The EAB is comprised of members of the DCC Core Team, NIH/NIMH representatives and three members outside the consortium.