ELIXIR

ELIXIR is the European network for bioinformatics. Its goal is to provide researchers with secure, structured and efficient access to bioinformatics tools. Switzerland is one of its founding members.

The ELIXIR community comes together at the annual All Hands Meeting

ELIXIR was established in 2014 by five countries, including Switzerland. Today, the network comprises 22 members – 21 member states and EMBL – and continues to expand. While the headquarters are located in Hinxton (UK), each member operates a national node, collectively forming ELIXIR's distributed infrastructure.

ELIXIR has several key priorities, one of which is the development of new databases and analysis tools. These developments are always driven by specific needs expressed by user communities. Another major priority is data interoperability. By jointly developing and promoting standards, ELIXIR ensures that data is interoperable, meaning it can be easily exchanged and reused for a wide range of scientific purposes. As technological progress has accelerated in recent years, including through the use of artificial intelligence, continuing education has also become a central concern. ELIXIR coordinates bioinformatics training across Europe.

Swiss participation

The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) acts as Switzerland’s national node within ELIXIR. SIB itself is also structured as a network, with its members conducting research at 28 institutions across Switzerland. Swiss researchers are actively involved in ELIXIR projects and are instrumental in fostering a successful and coordinated bioinformatics landscape in Europe.