Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI)
The European Commission Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) programme brings together national agencies, research organisations, and technology providers in 22 countries to provide a cross-border federated network of national genome collections, associated with other relevant data, for advancing data-driven biomedical research and personalised medicine solutions to benefit citizens of Europe.
Connecting 1+ Million Genomes with Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI)
In Ireland, the programme is jointly funded by the European Commission and the Health Research Board. The overall programme is designed to support the European 1+ Million Genomes (1+MG) Initiative.
Specifically, GDI will drive the development, deployment, and operation of sustainable data-access infrastructures within each participating country, including the legal frameworks, operational procedures, and ethics principles required to foster and maintain citizens' trust in cross-border access to highly sensitive personal data.
It will unlock a data network of over 1 million genome sequences for research and clinical reference, creating unprecedented opportunities for routine transnational, multi-stakeholder actions in personalised medicine for common, rare, and infectious diseases. Authorised data users, such as clinicians, researchers, and innovators, will be able to advance our understanding of genomics for more precise and faster clinical decision-making, diagnostics, treatments, and predictive medicine, and for improved public health measures that will benefit citizens, healthcare systems, and the overall economy.
Thus, GDI is a critical component of Europe's ambition to lead the integration of genomics into healthcare, and the GDI project is designed to interact with the other actors working towards this ambition via incremental milestones that drive alignment along a dynamic roadmap.
GDI Activities
Activity 1: National Mirror Group
Promoting the establishment of the Irish 1+MG National Mirror Group, connecting with and contributing to the European 1+MG initiative.
Activity 2: National Genomics Plan
Developing a national genomics plan for the realisation in Ireland of the European 1+MG initiative.
Activity 3: Proof of Concept Platform
Developing, testing, and validating a proof-of-concept platform for performing distributed analysis, connected to the European Data Network. UL and the Culhane group are leading Activity 3.
Activity 4: Data Governance
Determining the Irish-specific data governance system needed to enable sustainable and secure sharing of genomic data.
Activity 5: Cross-Border Initiative
Feasibility study for a cross-border (North-South) "Genomes of Ireland" initiative.
Activity 6: Training Initiatives
Development of training initiatives for the next generation of genomic clinicians and data scientists.
Leadership
GDI-Ireland is co-led by Prof. Gianpiero Cavalleri (RCSI) and Prof. Denis Shields (UCD). They are joined by co-investigators Prof. Aedin Culhane (University of Limerick) and Prof. Markus Helfert (Maynooth University).
The team is assisted by collaborators at the University of Galway, UCD, IPPOSI, and Health Research Charities Ireland. The project will be governed by a group with cross-sectorial (including patient/citizen) representation.
Building on the EU 1+Million Genome Initiative
The 1+MG Initiative was signed in 2018 and aims to enable secure access to genomics and corresponding clinical data across Europe to provide better research, personalised healthcare, and health policymaking.
The Beyond 1 Million Genomes (B1MG) project started in 2020 and is developing guidelines for implementing the 1+MG Initiative and creating blueprints and recommendations for creating federated networks of genomic data.
Building on the preparatory work of both of these, the GDI project brings 20 EU Member States together with two infrastructure organisations (BBMRI and EMBL) to work collectively to support the 1+MG Initiative's vision.
