Bioinformatics in the Netherlands

Bioinformatics in the Netherlands: The value of a nationwide community

van Gelder, Celia W.G. (Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences (DTL))
Hooft, Rob W.W. (Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences (DTL))
van Rijswijk, Merlijn N. (Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences (DTL))
van den Berg, Linda (Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences (DTL))
Kok, Ruben G. (Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences (DTL))
Reinders, M.J.T. (TU Delft Pattern Recognition and Bioinformatics)
Mons, Barend (Leiden University Medical Center)
Heringa, Jaap (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

2017

This review provides a historical overview of the inception and development of bioinformatics research in the Netherlands. Rooted in theoretical biology by foundational figures such as Paulien Hogeweg (at Utrecht University since the 1970s), the developments leading to organizational structures supporting a relatively large Dutch bioinformatics community will be reviewed. We will show that the most valuable resource that we have built over these years is the close-knit national expert community that is well engaged in basic and translational life science research programmes. The Dutch bioinformatics community is accustomed to facing the ever-changing landscape of data challenges and working towards solutions together. In addition, this community is the stable factor on the road towards sustainability, especially in times where existing funding models are challenged and change rapidly.

bioinformatics community
bioinformatics training
interoperability
fair data principles
national research infrastructure
bioinformatics research

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:82feb207-b417-4b04-a3bc-c34fb4613354

https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbx087

1467-5463

Briefings in Bioinformatics, 1-9

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2017 Celia W.G. van Gelder, Rob W.W. Hooft, Merlijn N. van Rijswijk, Linda van den Berg, Ruben G. Kok, M.J.T. Reinders, Barend Mons, Jaap Heringa