Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre (BMC) has launched a significant initiative in the field of bioinformatics – the implementation of the project EchoHEALTH: ERA Chair in Integrative One Health Informatics, which is planned to run for the next five years. The scientific leader of the project is Dr. Alvis Brāzma, a leading researcher at BMC and an experienced scientist who has spent most of his professional career at the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).
EchoHEALTH aims to enhance BMC’s excellence in knowledge and technology transfer by establishing the One Health Informatics Centre (OHIC), which will be led by Alvis Brāzma as the ERA Chair. This initiative is focused on bridging a significant gap in bioinformatics and data science within the healthcare sector. It will leverage Latvia’s biobank and omics infrastructure while integrating comprehensive national datasets.
One of the activities of the project involves training BMC researchers and students working in the field of bioinformatics, providing consultation on various bioinformatics challenges, and optimizing implemented bioinformatics analysis solutions.
On March 10, Alvis Brāzma met with BMC staff involved in the implementation of scientific projects and working with bioinformatics data by applying various bioinformatics tools. During the meeting, the latest developments in bioinformatics at BMC were discussed, and key issues to be addressed were identified. These working seminars are planned to be held regularly, ensuring a long-term contribution to strengthening BMC’s capacity and competitiveness in bioinformatics.
Additionally, this week, Alvis Brāzma is meeting with representatives of Latvia’s leading universities and key opinion leaders in the field to discuss collaboration opportunities in bioinformatics. This is an essential step in establishing the One Health Informatics Centre.
The project is being implemented with the support of the European Regional Development Fund, project No. 1.1.1.5/2/24/A/002, with a total funding amount of €2,500,000.
