About the BioDev Network

The Biodata Developers’ (BioDev) Network is a cross-organizational initiative dedicated to fostering new technology capabilities, promoting knowledge sharing, and enhancing thought leadership within the life sciences, clinical, and health tech sectors.

Our key initiatives are:

• Communities of practice
  to cultivate best practice and provide on-demand training in critical areas such as machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), software and web development, and bioinformatics.
• Fellowships, Mentorships, Training, and Networking
  to support open and accessible learning in science and technology, especially for under-represented groups in the global south.
• Horizon Scanning
  to identify the upcoming challenges and opportunities.

Don’t miss our next FREE and OPEN conference – available in-person and online

Explainable AI in Biology 2024 #XAIBio24

15-18 October 2024. In-person at Conference Centre, Wellcome Genome Campus, UK – and online via Zoom

The BioDev Network’s Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence community will gather to explore Explainable AI in Biology (#XAIBio24). More than 30 leading academic and industry speakers will be joining us to share their knowledge and experience. View the schedule here

Register for Explainable AI in Biology (#XAIBio24).

Sharing knowledge and experience

The BioDev Network empowers current and attracts future bioinformaticians, data engineers, software developers and IT specialists to share and create standards and best practices to deliver ground-breaking solutions in:

Equitable access and capacity building

The Network is dedicated to global and equitable access to genomic and life science research, with a particular focus on building capacity among underrepresented groups. To equip the next generation of computational scientists from around the world, the BioDev Network provides:

Contact

For further details, contact Priyanka Surana.

Activities

The BioDev Network aims to support computational staff, and build global capacity through:

• communities of practice
• sharing knowledge through training and networking
• thought leadership in key tech areas.

Communities of Practice

The BioDev Network’s communities are centred around the three most important technology areas that are pivotal to addressing the greatest challenges in life sciences, health and clinical research:

• Machine learning and Artificial intelligence to analyse vast volumes of genomic, clinical and visual data to make new discoveries and find new treatment options.
• Bioinformatics and workflow solutions to deliver genomic data generation and analysis at scale to create reference genomes at scale to power biodiversity and conservation initiatives.
• Software and web development to enhance data management and sharing across global research networks, enabling real-time collaboration and innovation in genetic research and healthcare.

Through our open, globally accessible communities, we provide training, workshops, seminars, hackathons, and forums, catering to various skill levels and interests. All these events are free and open to everyone, providing opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Our communities also organise symposia that bring together professionals, experts, and enthusiasts to explore current and future trends, innovations, and challenges.

In 2023, the Nextflow Symposium brought together 30 speakers and 143 participants from 55 organisations.

From 15th – 18th October 2024, the community will gather to explore Explainable AI in Biology (XAIB) with over 30 academic and industry leading speakers.

Subscribe to our community newsletter.

Machine Learning (ML) & Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Join us to accelerate creating explainable, transparent, and responsible models for both machine learning and generative AI in life, health and clinical sciences.

The ML/AI community empowers members to:

• gain a better understanding of how the artificial intelligence and machine learning models can be deployed so that you can extract value from biological datasets to solve urgent research challenges.
• find better ways of utilising a hybrid infrastructure so that you can extract value from data in a responsible and efficient way.
• find new and improved ways of creating sustainable models. This could involve utilising existing models and trained datasets, rightsizing and simplifying models, or deploying tailored domain-specific models.

Contact Ronnie Crawford for further information.

Bioinformatics Workflows

Join us to accelerate your research in health and biodiversity by creating sustainable, portable, and reproducible workflows to deliver science at scale.

The bioinformatics community empower members to:

• design reproducible workflows, facilitating trust and collaboration by making your research results easily shareable and verifiable.
• facilitate seamless integration of complex pipelines, to create flexible solutions tailored to your specific research needs, helping you drive efficiency and innovation.
• reuse workflows through curated repositories like nf-core, accelerating research and fostering collaboration by enabling you to leverage existing solutions and collective expertise.

Contact Jose Perez-Silva for further information.

Full Stack and Digital Security

Join us to accelerate your web development and to reduce risk and impact of digital security to support safe and open science.

The full stack and digital security community empowers members to:

• participate in transformative innovation and partnership opportunities through active forums, fostering continuous improvement and collective advancement in best practices.
• gain a greater understanding of compliance mechanisms and industry-specific challenges through tailored best practices and case studies, empowering proactive risk management.
• drive a paradigm shift from reactive to predictive security measures with accessible training and educational resources, ensuring you can confidently navigate evolving threats.

For further information, contact Andrew Varley for Full Stack and John Constable for Digital Security.

Knowledge sharing - Fellowships and Mentorships, Symposia, Training events and Online Learning

We aim to foster an inclusive, accessible, and open culture that promotes collaborative learning and ensures that knowledge is shared transparently and without barriers.

Future Innovators Programme – Fellowships and Mentoring to build capacity worldwide

The Future Innovators programme is designed to offer mentorship, skill development, and networking opportunities for participants from under-represented groups, especially those based in low- and medium-income countries.

Successful applications are given a comprehensive learning experience, combining virtual learning with on-campus immersion. Over the space of eight months, fellowship mentees benefit from:

• hands-on project experience within an informatics team on the Wellcome Genome Campus.
• virtual roundtable discussions, and expert sessions covering time management, agile development, and presentation skills.
• on-campus experience including host visit, networking opportunities with senior leaders and a chance to present at a genomics conference.

This scheme requires a commitment of 10 hours per week virtually for seven months and a two week in-person experience.

Symposia

The communities organise symposia bringing together professionals, experts, and enthusiasts to explore current and future trends, innovations, and challenges.

In 2023, the Nextflow Symposium brought together 30 speakers and 143 participants from 55 organisations.

From 15th to 18th October 2024, the community will gather to explore Explainable AI in Biology (#XAIBio24) with over 30 academic and industry leading speakers on the Wellcome Genome Campus.

Register for Explainable AI in Biology (#XAIBio24). Learn more here.

Training events

The communities host training events, including workshops, seminars, hackathons, and forums, catering to various skill levels and interests. These events are free and open to everyone, providing opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Online Learning Library

We are building an online learning library that will offer on-demand access to our talks, workshops, and forums in video and written formats, covering topics from AI to bioinformatics and regularly updated to reflect the latest advancements.

Horizon Scanning

We are starting a knowledge sharing initiative to identify emerging trends and challenges so that we as a community can adapt and innovate proactively. For our first year, we are focusing on four themes:

• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Security and Data Privacy
• Scientific Data Management and Sharing
• Talent Development and Future Workforce

There will be opportunities to participate with the discussions and engage with other experts in the field. The findings for each theme will be communicated through blogs and a summary publication.