The life sciences increasingly rely on centralized online databases for sharing biological information (e.g., NCBI, EBI, MGnify). These databases enable the exchange of primary and secondary biological datasets for downstream re-use. However, technical challenges for depositing and accessing open research data (ORD) and issues with traceability and reproducibility hinder scientific progress and adoption of ORD/FAIR practices in the life sciences. This project aims to develop software tools to facilitate remote, programmatic, and fully FAIR interactions with prominent ORD resources in the biological sciences. These tools will remove existing barriers, promote ORD sharing and re-use, and foster community engagement in ORD practices. While this project focuses on microbiome research, its multidisciplinary nature ensures its relevance across various research domains, aligning with the Contribute program's objectives of contributing software tools for established ORD databases.