Share knowledge, create collaborations and stimulate innovation and development in bioinformatics

The aim of the BN network is to share knowledge, create collaborations and stimulate innovation and development in bioinformatics on the Nantes site.

The network wishes to make bioinformatics knowledge accessible to all scientists and to share expertise and advanced methods between bioinformaticians. It aspires to facilitate teamwork and collaboration within the scientific community in biology and bioinformatics and to offer resources for mutual support and the exchange of expertise. Finally, it aims to encourage innovation and the development of new tools and methodologies in bioinformatics, and to provide educational resources to support continuous learning and development.

Initiatives proposed by the network (currently being set up)

Online help and advice ressources

• Gitlab for tutorials, methodological guides, and in-depth reviews of software/tools
• Discourse discussion forum
• Mattermost : chat for general discussions and thematic working groups

Meetings

• Journal Clubs: sessions to discuss recent research articles in biology and bioinformatics.
• Flash presentations: short presentation sessions to share methodological knowledge and recent discoveries.
• Geek Corner: presentation of “tips and tricks” to improve the daily life as a bioinformatician.
• Bioinformatics forum: Organising annual bioinformatics forum where biologists and bioinformaticians can meet, present their work and generate opportunities for collaboration, including networking sessions, poster presentations and thematic workshops.
• Hackathons: Encourage creativity and innovation by organising hackathons focused on solving concrete bioinformatics problems (developing new tools/software, algorithms, or proposing innovative data analyses).

Scientific dissemination initiatives

• Article writing: Encourage the writing of articles for different reading levels, from in-depth research articles to popular science articles, by exploiting platforms such as “Bioinfo-fr.net” and “The Conversation”.
• Conferences and Workshops: Participate in conferences to promote our network and organise conferences by inviting local, national and international researchers to share their work and perspectives on bioinformatics. Include practical workshops to teach bioinformatics and computer science methods.

Contact

• Mailing list : reseau_bioinfos_nantais@univ-nantes.fr
• Team : Mohamed Ba, Audrey Bihouée, Alexandrina Bodrug, Ayad Haladi, Hugo Lefeuvre, Kinnie Le Roy, Maxime Naour, Louis Paré, Allwyn Pereira, Brieuc Quemeneur

National network MERIT

In 2023, a national network of bioinformatics engineers MERIT was created, supported by the CNRS. This network aims to support the activities of local networks such as the one in Nantes.