17-18 November 2015, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK

Join us to discuss the latest advances in the technical infrastructure behind large-scale data sharing in the life sciences, and the interoperability of data resources supporting biological, medical, translational and clinical research.

Twitter: #lifesciencedata More about BioMedBridges and the symposium

Photos from the event are now available!

Keynotes

Phil Bourne, National Institutes of Health: Open data in a global ecosystem
Ruth March, Astra Zeneca: How the big data explosion is transforming pharma

Confirmed speakers

Jeffrey BARRETT, Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation
Ewan BIRNEY, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)
Phil BOURNE, National Institutes of Health, BD2K
Søren BRUNAK, ELIXIR Denmark
Kate BUSHBY, Newcastle University, RD Connect
Edwin CUPPEN, Hubrecht Institute
Jim DAVIES, University of Oxford, Genomics England
Jan ELLENBERG, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Euro-BioImaging
Helen FIRTH, University of Cambridge, Deciphering Developmental Disorders
Alex GUTTERIDGE, Pfizer
Andrew LEACH, GSK
Peter LUIJTEN, University Medical Center Utrecht, Center for Translational Molecular Medicine
Ruth MARCH, Innovative Medicines & Early Development, AstraZeneca
Willem OUWEHAND, University of Cambridge, Blueprint Epigenome
Janet THORNTON, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) Welcome and Symposium closing
Mathias UHLÉN, SciLifeLab

About the symposium

If you are interested in data challenges and possibilities in the life sciences, Open Bridges provides the perfect opportunity to network, discuss and collaborate with other like-minded individuals, including leaders in the field.

What’s the challenge?

Fragmented, inaccessible databases and tools pose a serious challenge to modern, data-driven science. Different research communities have their own ways of handling data, but acknowledge that a better flow of information between all domains could only enrich their work and better equip them to address the serious problems facing society today.

BioMedBridges is a common thread between twelve new international biomedical sciences research infrastructures, and has been working to deliver a common approach to handling data in the life sciences. Building and opening up these technical bridges between different communities is essential to ensuring the most efficient and sustainable use of publicly funded data resources.

Share your ideas

Collaborate and network in interactive workshops This international, open symposium, hosted by ELIXIR and held in the newly refurbished Wellcome Conference Centre near Cambridge in the UK, brings together researchers in imaging, bio-banking, bioinformatics, clinical trials, mouse models, chemical biology and translational research to discuss the major issues in data interoperability for the life sciences.

In plenary sessions and small, intensive workshops, we will explore the current status of data integration efforts in the life sciences and the tools and services being used to address them. We will also set our future requirements and describe what steps need to be taken to achieve more.