Ensembl: a comprehensive reference resource for genomics

The Ensembl project provides free access to reference vertebrate genomes and associated data. 

The aim of this open research activity is to increase Ensembl’s presence in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and South and Central America, adding two or three training workshops in these regions each year. This translates to training more than 200 scientists to use Ensembl and related free online tools for genomics in their research. A train-the-trainer element to the workshops will encourage information sharing, spreading bioinformatics skills even further. The skills learned in these workshops will allow scientists to use Ensembl open access data more effectively to contribute to their research, speeding up their analyses of genes and genomic variants. Participants will have access to presentations, walk-throughs, exercises and answers after the course, which they can share with colleagues.

This will improve the research output in those regions, which tend to focus on malaria, HIV and rice cultivation.