Over 90 representatives from across the ELIXIR infrastructure have come together this week in Cambridge, UK, to kick-start the Horizon 2020 ELIXIR implementation project EXCELERATE.
Project partners presented the plans and expected outcomes for each of the project tasks and discussed challenges and actions that cut across the individual tasks within the project.
The participants discussed in detail how the ELIXIR-EXCELERATE technical activities will be driven by the four scientific use cases (Marine metagenomics, Crop and plant science, Rare diseases and Human data), for which close collaboration between the technical platforms and the use cases is essential.
The activities and first results coming up in the next few months include a series of hackathons to expand the ELIXIR Tools and Services Registry, establishing a common identity to access ELIXIR services, setting up the first Data Nodes (Nodes with large data collections and databases), and strengthening the ELIXIR Training programme.
About ELIXIR-EXCELERATE
With a budget of nearly €20 million and including over 40 partners from ELIXIR Nodes in 17 ELIXIR Member and Observer countries, ELIXIR-EXCELERATE will accelerate the implementation of the ELIXIR platforms and integrate ELIXIR bioinformatics resources into a coherent infrastructure. Use Cases embedded in four different user communities – marine metagenomics, crop and forest plants, rare disease and human sensitive data - will feed into the development of the ELIXIR infrastructure. The technical and scientific activities will be complemented by a pan-European training programme, which will increase bioinformatics capacity and competency.
ELIXIR was invited to apply to a dedicated call within Horizon 2020 following the ESFRI and European Council decision in 2014 to categorize ELIXIR as one of Europe’s three priority new Research Infrastructures. ELIXIR-EXCELERATE represents ELIXIR’s submission to this Call.
More information: https://www.elixir-europe.org/excelerate