New EC-funded effort to create a sustainable infrastructure for biological data launched
Press
Release 28 May 2008 [PDF]
In a contract signed today,
the European Commission has awarded €4.5 million to
a pan-European consortium to decide upon the best
way to unite Europe's biological data resources into a
sustainable, integrative bioinformatics network for the
life sciences. The European Life-science Infrastructure
for Biological Information [ELIXIR] project is led by
the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's
European Bioinformatics Institute [EMBL-EBI] and
involves 32 partners from 13 countries. The consortium
ultimately aims to establish a sustainably funded
infrastructure for biological information in Europe, to
support innovation in life science research, knowledge
generation and its translation to medicine, the environment,
the bio-industries and society.
Since the 1980s, the storage mechanism for biological
information has gone from being an individual's notebook
and published academic papers to open source
databases of integrated information exchanged worldwide
on a daily basis. This information and the databases
that make it available to scientists around the
world are an indispensable resource for modern biology.
Yet commonly these resources are dependent on
insecure or short term funding, meaning that the valuable
data they contain and provide access to, are jeopardised
when funding ends.
ELIXIR aims to protect the existing and future data
held in biological data resources. The project will work
to provide a European infrastructure for optimal
information storage, access and integration supported
by a secure funding mechanism. "Under the
Framework Programme for Research, the European
Commission provides support to the preparatory
phase for the construction of new research infrastructures,"
commented Mr Robert-Jan Smits, Director of
Directorate B [European Research Area: Research
Programmes and Capacity] at DG Research of the
European Commission. "This will help catalyse the
efforts and resources needed to build and ensure the
sustainability of large-scale, word-class infrastructures
needed by Europe's research communities." In this
way, the longevity of Europe's central molecular data
resources will be guaranteed.
The development of such a network is a strategic step
in maintaining the global position of Europe as a
leader in scientific research. "The biological sciences
are delivering benefits that contribute to advances in
our society," says EMBL-EBI director and ELIXIR
coordinator Janet Thornton. "Developing a securely
funded, integrative infrastructure will give Europe one
voice in the global community, meaning that we can
make connections and realise those benefits more
quickly by working together," she concludes.
More information on ELIXIR and details on future
stakeholder meetings can be found at www.elixir-europe.org
Press Contact
Louisa Wright PhD
EMBL-EBI Scientific Outreach Officer
Hinxton, UK
Tel: +44 1223 494665
Email: louisa@ebi.ac.uk
Anna-Lynn Wegener
Press Officer
EMBL Heidelberg
Tel: +49 6221 387-8452
Email: wegener@embl.de
|
