Laying the groundwork for more Australia-Europe cooperation in the life sciences
Australian BioCommons, Bioplatforms Australia, and EMBL sign formal agreement to encourage collaboration in bioinformatics and related activities
As the role of AI becomes increasingly more important in life sciences, EMBL has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bioplatforms Australia and Australian BioCommons, recognising the importance and scientific benefits of collaboration between researchers from Australia and Europe.
Bioplatforms Australia supports life science research by investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure and associated expertise in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics. It also initiates open-data projects through collaborative research that builds critical omics datasets that support national scientific challenges of importance. As a whole, the Bioplatforms Australia network offers a range of complementary omics technologies relevant to food, agriculture, biomedicine, and environmental research.
Additionally, Bioplatforms Australia has commissioned Australian BioCommons to provide Australian bioinformatics infrastructure at a national scale. The University of Melbourne hosts Australian BioCommons.
With this MoU, these organisations recognise the mutual benefits of fostering international partnerships and building on a shared interest in bioinformatics and data provision.
The five-year MoU addresses several key areas of collaboration, including:
- scientific research (e.g., AI, data sharing, services, infrastructure, and omics)
- access to services and infrastructure
- field work and experimental infrastructure
- advancing the study of life in context
- development and delivery of training opportunities (especially for early-career researchers)
- scientific visits, joint meetings, conferences, and workshops
- possible joint funding opportunities
- other mutually beneficial activities
The collaboration builds on a multi-decade history of engagement across several established strengths: training, staff exchanges, international knowledge sharing, and other activities to establish and advance life sciences bioinformatics infrastructure. It also helps support collaborations that further areas of shared interests that can also be developed in the future, in particular in the context of EMBL’s next Scientific Programme, Australian BioCommons’s Strategic Plan, and the Australian Government Department of Education’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy priorities.
