Genome Biology: Fostering Partnerships and Advancing Research – Technology Networks (blog)

Two of the most important conferences in genome biology are coming together this year for a single event at the Earlham Institute in Norwich: Genome Science and Genome 10K. Aiming to promote cross-disciplinary communication, collaboration, and innovation, the event will help to foster relationships in the wider genomics community, increase community engagement and drive forwards research into a range of key, global issues.

We asked EI's Director of Science, Federica Di Palma, and Scientific Training Team Manager, Emily Angiolini, about the aims of this unique event, as well as the outcomes that we can most look forward to.

What aims have you set out for this years meeting?

The concept behind bringing together these two conferences is two-fold. Firstly, to engage the wider research community in important community projects, such as the Genome 10K project. The second aim is to facilitate cross-talk between research disciplines related to genomics. Including Genome Science assists us with this goal, as a primary mission of the meeting is to explore, develop and communicate recent developments in genomic technologies. Furthermore, bringing the event to Norwich allows us to engage with a greater delegation of European researchers involved in biodiversity genomics efforts.

Why are events like this important for fostering partnerships and advancing research in genomics and computational biology?

Conferences such as this are important as they provide a platform to share, discuss and review ideas, which will lead to novel developments and applications. They provide a mechanism for networking, identifying common interests and potential collaborations to help move projects forward. The Genome 10K Community of Scientists (G10KCOS) has used this model to great success to deliver significant milestones and inspire new initiatives.

Which element of the Genome 10K and Genome Science event are you most excited about this year?

Bringing together these two previously separate communities is the most exciting element of this conference. The inspiration, guidance and sheer power that can be gleaned by joining new thoughts together has massive potential to advance genomics research and address key, global issues such as conservation, food security and health.

What is the Genome 10K Community of Scientists and what are they trying to achieve?

The Genome 10K Community of Scientists (G10KCOS) is working to achieve a unified approach to systematically sequence the genomes of 10,000 living vertebrates (at least one from each genus). This information will provide a unique resource to understand the complexity of genomes, their resilience to environmental changes, how populations adapt to bottlenecks and why some species undergo massive expansion, essentially to help conserve the rich diversity that we enjoy today.

Register for the event here -http://www.earlham.ac.uk/genome-10k-and-genome-science-conference

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Genome Biology: Fostering Partnerships and Advancing Research - Technology Networks (blog)