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During various occasions, it was agreed by the participants that the Biodiversity Information Hub should be the main outcome of BiCIKL.
The city of Cambridge and the Wellcome Campus hosted the final General Meeting of the EU-funded project BiCIKL (short for Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library). This 36-month endeavor brought together 14 member institutions and 15 research infrastructures representing various actors in the biodiversity information realm. The goal was to improve bi-directional links between different platforms, standards, formats, and scientific fields. Consortium members who were unable to attend the meeting in Cambridge joined remotely.
The three-day meeting was organized by local hosts, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and ELIXIR, in collaboration with Pensoft Publishers. The first day began with a welcome cocktail reception at the Hilton Cambridge City Centre. The following day, the consortium started early with a recap of BiCIKL’s key milestones and outputs from the past three years. Each Work Package leader had their own time slot to discuss the results of their collaborations.
They all agreed that the Biodiversity Information Hub, a one-stop portal for understanding the complex and interconnected landscape of biodiversity research infrastructures, is likely the flagship outcome of BiCIKL.
In the afternoon, the participants focused on the services developed under BiCIKL. Among the many services resulting from the project, some were not initially planned. Instead, they were the “natural” products of the discussions and collaborations that flourished within the consortium throughout the project. “A symptom of passion,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev.
An excellent example of one such service is what the partners call the “Biodiversity PMC,” which brings together biodiversity literature from thousands of scholarly journals and over 500,000 taxonomic treatments, along with biomedical content from NIH’s PubMed Central, into the SIB Literature Services (SIBiLS) database. What’s more, users at SIBiLS, whether human or AI, can now use advanced text- and data-mining tools, including AI-powered factoid question-answering capabilities, to query all this full-text indexed content and search for, for example, species characteristics and biotic interactions. Read more about the “Biodiversity PMC” in its recent official announcement.
Far from being the only one, the “Biodiversity PMC” is in good company. From the blockchain-based technology of LifeBlock to the curation of DNA sequences by PlutoF, the BiCIKL project consortium takes pride in having developed twelve services dedicated to FAIR and linked ready-to-use biodiversity data.
All these services are already listed in the FAIR Data Place within the Biodiversity Information Hub, where each is presented with its own video. For many services, from the same page, visitors can download fact sheets intended as user guidelines. All will also be featured in the EOSC catalogue.
All services developed under BiCIKL with links to their explanatory videos:
On Wednesday, the consortium focused on BiCIKL’s activities from the Transnational and Virtual Access Pillar, which included presentations by each open call leader and VA leader, as well as open discussions and a recap of what the teams have learned from these experiences.
The Future of Biodiversity and Genomics Data Integration on the EMBL Wellcome Genome Campus
On Thursday, a panel discussion took place as part of an open event where BiCIKL partners and ELIXIR Biodiversity and Plant Communities came together to discuss the future of biodiversity and genomics data integration on the EMBL Wellcome Genome Campus. The agenda for the event can be found on BiCIKL’s website.
After 36 months of action, the BiCIKL project is set to officially end in April 2024. However, this does not mean that everything will be completed and finished by May 2024, as the partners point out.
To ensure that the Biodiversity Data Hub continues to thrive and grow in both usage and participation, the one-stop portal will remain under the maintenance of LifeWatch ERIC.
In conclusion, it can be said that the appropriate payoff for the project is ”Stick together!” as stated by BiCIKL’s Joint Research Activity Leader, Dr. Quentin Groom.
Final Words on the Third and Last General Assembly of the BiCIKL Project
Highlights from the BiCIKL General Assembly meeting can be found on Twitter using the hashtags #BiCIKL_H2020, #Cambridge, and #finalGA.
All BiCIKL Project Partners:
- Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Netherlands
- Plazi, Switzerland
- Meise Botanic Garden, Belgium
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory and EMBL-EBI, United Kingdom
- ELIXIR, United Kingdom
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC Secretariat, Belgium
- EOSC-Hub, Italy
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
- EOSC-Life, Germany
***
The BiCIKL project has been a collaborative effort between these partners for 36 months, and will officially end in April 2024. However, the Biodiversity Data Hub will continue to thrive and grow under the maintenance of LifeWatch ERIC. The project’s research outputs, including grant proposals, policy briefs, guideline papers, and research articles, can be found in the BiCIKL project results collection in RIO Journal.
In conclusion, the appropriate payoff for the project is “Stick together!” as stated by BiCIKL’s Joint Research Activity Leader, Dr. Quentin Groom. Follow the highlights from the BiCIKL General Assembly meeting on Twitter using the hashtags #BiCIKL_H2020, #Cambridge, and #finalGA.
Rewritten Article:
Elixir/EMBL-EBI is a research institute located in Germany that focuses on bioinformatics and molecular biology. It is one of the many organizations in Europe that are dedicated to advancing the field of nuclear analysis. Other notable groups include the European Group for Nuclear Analysis in Switzerland, the Consortium of European Taxonomic Services in Belgium, and the Muséum nationwide d’Histoire naturelle in France, which is celebrating its partnership with CETAF.
Another important institution in this field is the Institut Suisse de bioinformatique (SIB) in Switzerland, which specializes in bioinformatics research. The Tartu Ülikool (UTartu) in Estonia is also a key player in this area, focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem analysis. Additionally, the E-Science European Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Analysis (LifeWatch) in Spain and the Freie Universitaet Berlin (FUB-BGBM) in Germany are actively involved in advancing nuclear analysis.
The International Biodiversity Data Facility (GBIF) in Denmark is a global organization that aims to provide access to biodiversity data. It works closely with SPECIES 2000 (sp2000) and The Catalogue of Life (COL) in the United Kingdom to ensure accurate and up-to-date information is available to researchers.
The Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG) in the Netherlands is a leading organization in setting biodiversity data standards. They work closely with other groups to ensure that data is easily accessible and usable for research purposes.
Associated with these organizations are various conferences, workshops, and events that bring together experts in the field of nuclear analysis. These events provide a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing, further advancing the field.
In conclusion, the European region is home to many organizations and institutions that are dedicated to advancing nuclear analysis. Through collaboration and innovation, these groups are making significant contributions to the field and driving progress in bioinformatics and molecular biology.
Exciting to hear about the BiCIKL mission outcomes and future prospects in Cambridge! Can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.