ELIXIR research infrastructure representatives, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the ELIXIR-PL consortium gathered on Friday, 28 February, at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, to discuss the benefits of Poland's participation in ELIXIR infrastructure activities. The discussion also covered the necessary steps for our country to become a full member of the group.
ELIXIR is a unique project on a global scale. As an organisation, it currently brings together more than 850 scientists from more than 240 institutions in 22 countries. It helps individuals from the world of science to facilitate finding, analysing and sharing data, exchanging experiences and implementing best practices.
- "The infrastructure aims to accelerate and streamline research activities based on large volumes of data," explains Prof Izabela Makalowska from the AMU Faculty of Biology
-ELIXIR activities focus on, among other things, identifying and integrating critical bioinformatics resources in Europe; developing ways to access, store, transfer and analyse large volumes of life sciences data; establishing pan-European standards to ensure software interoperability; transferring solutions applied and proven in molecular biology to other research; and providing training, the scientist enumerates. As Prof Izabela Makalowska adds, ELIXIR's activities are not limited to coordinating existing resources: - "The major tasks currently performed by ELIXIR include responding rapidly to advances in cellular and molecular research, integrating data on biodiversity, agriculture and emerging pathogens, in the context of environmental and socio-economic challenges, and supporting genomic and transcriptomic research used in medicine," says the AMU researcher.
ELIXIR_PL is a consortium of nine scientific institutions with Poland's leading bioinformatics centres. The leader of the consortium is Adam Mickiewicz University. The consortium consists of AMU, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan University of Technology, the University of Warsaw, the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS
, University of Lodz, Medical University of Białystok. The consortium aims to build a national ELIXIR hub, cooperating with a European hub located at the European Bioinformatics Institute in the UK and specialised hubs offering specific bioinformatics services already in place. In addition to building a national infrastructure, the consortium is keen to be actively involved in activities related to the creation of analytical tools and systems, database development, resource sharing, training, standards development and the introduction of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and Open Science principles in the area of computing services. Poland's presence in the ELIXIR infrastructure will bring benefits not only strictly scientific and technological but also economic and social, including improved diagnosis and treatment of diseases, notably infectious, rare and civilisation diseases.
The ELIXIR infrastructure at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan meeting was represented by Director Professor Tim Hubbard, Director of External Relations Andreas Smith and Andrea Guzman Mesa. From the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the following guests arrived: Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation and Development Michał Goszczyński and Head of the Department of Strategic Research Infrastructure Michał Rybiński. Representing the University at the gathering were Rector Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Vice-Rector Prof. Przemysław Wojtaszek and representatives of research teams involved in bioinformatics at AMU. The representatives of the other eight institutions in the consortium also attended the meeting.
