Comenius University Bratislava to coordinate the Slovak ELIXIR Node
Slovakia has joined the European research infrastructure ELIXIR, which supports the management, sharing and effective use of data in the biological and biomedical sciences. A national ELIXIR node has been established in Slovakia, coordinated by Comenius University Bratislava (CU) through the CU Science Park, in cooperation with Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.
The establishment of the national node is an important step towards systematically integrating the Slovak research community into the European life sciences ecosystem. It provides a solid basis for long-term sustainability, international cooperation and increased competitiveness of Slovak research. “CU’s involvement in the ELIXIR infrastructure is a testament to the quality of our researchers and to their contribution to global biomedical research. In the immediate future we will focus in particular on genomics and bioinformatics. Our ambition is to take part in major European projects funded by the European Union,” said Vice-Rector for Science and Doctoral Studies Jozef Masarik.
The Vice-Rector also explained that ELIXIR Slovakia will operate as a distributed infrastructure with two main centres: Bratislava, where Comenius University - in particular the CU Science Park - will assume the key coordinating role, and Košice, where Pavol Jozef Šafárik University will host the second hub. “In the next phase, we plan to expand the national node to include further partners from the academic and research community so as to build a truly representative and sustainable infrastructure at national level,” added Vice-Rector Masarik.
“Slovakia’s accession as an ELIXIR Member state is a significant and welcome milestone, strengthening both ELIXIR and the Slovak bioinformatics community. We look forward to partnering with Slovak colleagues to integrate their services into the ELIXIR network and to amplify the impact of life science data resources for researchers across Europe,” said Andrew Smith, Head of External Relations at ELIXIR.
The new ELIXIR Slovakia node will provide services in the field of biomedical data and databases, tools, computational and genomic capacities, as well as training and outreach activities. Planned services include, for example, a database of pathogens arising from national genomic surveillance, the NarCoS genomic monitoring information system, and the launch of the Federated European Genome-Phenome Archive, which will enable Slovakia to participate in the major international project Genome of Europe.
The CU Science Park is thereby positioning itself as a key national coordinator of cutting-edge research infrastructures in the life sciences and will host a second national platform of European and global importance. The first is the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), which confirms the growing international reputation and strategic role of Comenius University Bratislava in the European Research Area.
The research infrastructure of CU Science Park - the Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, led by Associate Professor Tomáš Szemes, which will become an integral part of the ELIXIR Slovakia national node, has supported specialists in Slovakia and across the European Research Area since its establishment. The centre provides comprehensive hardware and software facilities for the processing, analysis and long-term storage of genomic and biological data and offers solutions for highly demanding analyses in genomics, transcriptomics, metagenomics, epigenomics and in-depth analysis of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. This support also includes assistance with preparing publications and transferring results into practical applications.
ELIXIR is a European distributed research infrastructure that connects national nodes and expertise in bioinformatics and in the management and analysis of life science data. Its aim is to ensure that biological and biomedical data are sustainable, interoperable and reusable for research, innovation and societal benefit.