We are absolutely proud to announce CLIMB-BIG-DATA, an ambitious 5-year initiative to deliver a cutting-edge scalable and dynamic bioinformatics platform to support academic research groups, government agencies and health service facing the challenge of big data in modern microbiology.

The initiative will benefit from a just-awarded £2Million grant from the UKRI (MRC grant ref. MR/T030062/1), and will gradually become self-sustaining. This will ensure the long-term provision of an always up-to-date cloud-based infrastructure for microbial bioinformatics.

CLIMB-BIG-DATA focuses on strategically important themes, like emerging infectious disease and global health (such as Covid-19 – the partnership is already supporting the COG-UK consortium), antimicrobial resistance, global challenges and industrial efficiency and innovation.

Moreover, there will be a vibrant community engagement programme, with training events, hackathons and symposia.

The CLIMB-BIG-DATA partnership includes eight institutions: Quadram Institute Bioscience in Norwich (leading the project), plus the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Swansea and Warwick, together with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s MRC Unit in the Gambia.