UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has confirmed £80.7 million of funding for EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). The funding comes from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and will be distributed over the course of six years. It is set to help EMBL-EBI transform its technical infrastructure to meet the data needs of the life sciences community.
A foundational research infrastructure
EMBL-EBI is a global leader in the storage, analysis, and dissemination of large biological datasets. Scientists across the globe submit their research data to EMBL-EBI. The institute curates, annotates, and analyses the data, integrating them into the global biodata ecosystem. Managing data across over forty specialised and interconnected open data resources, EMBL-EBI allows millions of scientists around the world to realise the potential of big data and exploit complex information for discoveries that benefit humankind.
A 2021 independent economic study by management consultancy Charles Beagrie Ltd found that the data resources managed by EMBL-EBI are critical to research and development, and underpin global research impacts estimated to be worth £1.3 billion annually.
Dr Amanda Collis, Interim Deputy Executive Chair at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UKRI, said:
“Since its inception 30 years ago, EMBL-EBI has become a foundational global research infrastructure. The data resources, tools and services developed by EMBL-EBI are essential for researchers in delivering bio-based solutions for the challenges we face as a society. We are pleased to continue to support EMBL-EBI in its mission to make research data freely and openly available to the world. This enables scientific discoveries in all areas of bioscience, from food security to infectious disease, genomic medicine and biodiversity conservation.”
Supporting the world’s growing data needs
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, EMBL-EBI has seen a steep increase in the volumes of data that researchers deposit in its data archives, as well as a doubling of the number of researchers using its services. The growth of new technologies such as genomic sequencing, bioimaging and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving this increased data production and usage.
The vast and information-rich datasets made accessible by EMBL-EBI are perfect for training AI algorithms that can help push the boundaries of scientific knowledge even further. EMBL-EBI is working with academia and the private sector to support the development of useful AI methods and other new technologies for healthcare, biotechnology and the life sciences.
“Research infrastructures are often taken for granted,” said Ewan Birney, Director of EMBL-EBI and Deputy Director General of EMBL. “Because data resources are so critical, it is assumed that they will always be there. But in reality, they require sustained, robust funding in order to adapt to the changing needs of their user communities. We are extremely grateful to UKRI for their continued support. They have shown a deep understanding of how crucial infrastructure and the free flow of research data is for scientific discovery.”
This investment will provide storage, network, compute, and cloud infrastructure to support EMBL-EBI in accommodating the rising production of publicly-funded research data. It will accelerate data-driven approaches to life science research and increase research productivity through data curation and provision of data analysis tools.
It will also develop new data resources specific to serious global challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance, security of food supply, environmental integrity, and personalised medicine. Finally, it will help the institute develop data sharing and analysis methods for new data types such as bioimaging.
Biodata for the future
“As a hub of global excellence in bioinformatics, EMBL-EBI’s work is pivotal in harnessing the power of biological data for transformative scientific discoveries,” said Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UKRI.
“By enhancing EMBL-EBI’s capabilities, we are ensuring that the global research community has the tools and resources necessary to meet rapidly evolving global challenges. We are committed to fostering a data-rich research environment where research and innovation thrive, creating benefits for all.”
“EMBL would like to thank UKRI for their long-standing backing of the important work taking place at EMBL-EBI to support the life sciences globally,” said Edith Heard, EMBL Director General. “Multinational organisations such as EMBL play an important role in knowledge exchange, capacity building and supporting scientific progress worldwide.”
This funding is part of the second phase of EMBL-EBI’s Data Resources for Life Sciences programme. The first phase started in 2019, when the UKRI awarded £45 million to EMBL-EBI.
About the UKRI Infrastructure Fund
The UKRI Infrastructure Fund supports the facilities, equipment and resources that are essential for researchers and innovators to do ground-breaking work. This strategic fund helps to create a long-term pipeline of research and innovation infrastructure investment priorities for the next 10 to 20 years. It supports a range of projects from new infrastructures to major upgrades, delivering a step change in infrastructure capability and capacity. The Infrastructure Fund spans the complete disciplinary spectrum and funds infrastructures located across all of the UK’s regions and nations, and those which form part of major international collaborations.
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