Big Data Exploitation in Life Sciences

Modern life sciences increasingly rely on complex analytical methods that generate vast amounts of data requiring sophisticated analysis. Meeting this challenge demands deep expertise and powerful bioinformatics tools.
The German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure – de.NBI is the key to solving this challenge.
de.NBI is a national, academic, and non-profit research infrastructure, launched in 2015 as a joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
 
Our primary objectives are:  
 
  • providing cutting-edge bioinformatics tools & services for the life sciences and biomedicine
  • delivering high-quality bioinformatics training through a wide spectrum of workshops and courses
  • offering scalable cloud computing resources for academia in Germany
  • fostering knowledge exchange between academia and industry through our Industrial Forum
  • strengthening ties between the German bioinformatics community and international bioinformatics networks such as ELIXIR Europe
The network supports researchers in the life sciences and biomedicine across Germany and Europe with a broad range of bioinformatics services and comprehensive computing resources. Our members run training events, courses, and summer schools on tools, standards, data management, and workflows. They also provide the computing power researchers need to analyze and visualize their data more effectively. 
 
de.NBI comprises eight interconnected service centers and one coordination unit, encompassing more than 40 research, service, and infrastructure groups with around 150 bioinformaticians actively contributing. Associated partnerships are also available for institutions whishing to join the network. 
 
Since August 2016, the de.NBI has been the German node of the ESFRI ELIXIR infrastructure, ELIXIR Germany. Since 2022, the Forschungszentrum Jülich as a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers has been entrusted with continuing the de.NBI. 
Our current scientific speakers, who also serve as  joint Heads of Node of ELIXIR Germany, are Oliver Kohlbacher (University of Tübingen) and Alexander Sczyrba (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Outstation Bielefeld). 
 
Introduction Video 

History

In May 2013, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) – now the BMFTR – published funding guidelines for the de.NBI network to address the "big data" problem in life sciences through bioinformatics services and training. The de.NBI programme finally launched in March 2015. Just a few months later, in November 2015, a second call for de.NBI partner projects was announced to broaden the range of topics covered. The partner projects began their work in November 2016. 

Alfred Pühler (Bielefeld University) coordinated the project and served as Head of the German ELIXIR Node from 2015 to 2021.

The BMBF funding was initially granted from 2015 to 2021. By decision of the Federal Government from November 2020, the de.NBI has since received long-term funding from the BMBF for continuation by Forschungszentrum Jülich, a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.