France and Spain will now be fully integrated into ELIXIR’s scientific and operational activities. The ELIXIR Board has today welcomed both countries into ELIXIR, following the Board’s approval of their application to use the Provisional Membership scheme.
Niklas Blomberg, ELIXIR Director said: “I am pleased to welcome Spain and France fully into the fold of ELIXIR’s operations. Spanish and French bioinformatics communities can now participate in all of ELIXIR’s scientific and technical activities: from current Pilot Actions and ELIXIR’s training programme to Commissioned services in future. I believe that this cooperation will strengthen ELIXIR as well as the two countries, and will bring real benefits to the life science community”.
The French Institute of Bioinformatics (L’Institut Français de Bioinformatique, IFB), funded through the Investments for the Future programme, forms the French ELIXIR Node. IFB brings together bioinformatics communities of France's main research organisations: CNRS, INRA, INRIA, CEA, INSERM, CIRAD, the Pasteur and Curie Institutes, and French universities. There are currently 32 platforms grouped into six regional centres, coordinated by the national hub.
Jean-François Gibrat Head of IFB, said: “The French bioinformatics community brings together significant expertise and resources in fields such as metagenomics, health and rare diseases, and the plant sciences. I am very much looking forward to deepening the collaboration with our ELIXIR partners and contributing fully to ELIXIR’s scientific programme”.
Spanish participation in ELIXIR is based on an agreement between the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCII) and five partner institutions (CNIO, CRG including CNAG, CNAG, IRB, BSC and UPF) - members of Spain's National Bioinformatics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Bioinformática, INB). The Spanish ELIXIR Node is funded by ISCII and coordinated by the INB.
Alfonso Valencia, the INB Director and the ELIXIR Head of Node in Spain, said: "Spain actively participated in the ELIXIR preparatory phase and has collaborated with ELIXIR as an Observer country, for example in the ELIXIR Pilot action with EMBL-EBI to develop the European Genome-phenome Archive as a joint venture. I am delighted that Spain can now be fully integrated into ELIXIR's scientific and technical activities."
The Provisional Membership Scheme has been developed so countries can play a full operational role in ELIXIR during the time they are progressing the ratification of the ECA. Having previously been Observers to ELIXIR, France and Spain will now have the same benefits as full members for the duration of its term as Provisional Member. They will also make a full financial contribution to ELIXIR in this period.
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