A Science Foundation Ireland centre at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) is receiving new Cloud infrastructure to help advance genomics and data science.

The SFI Centre for Research Training (CRT) in Genomics Data Science is being supported by independent software vendor Define Tech, partnered with Irish-based Cloud provider CloudCIX. These companies will provide a new Cloud platform for the centre.

Genomic data science is focused on decoding the information encoded within the DNA of our genomes. Uncovering more information from the human genome could help with the diagnosis and prevention of human disease.

However, the amount of data produced from mapping a single genome is enormous, creating a challenge for data scientists. A 2015 study published in the science journal Plos Biology estimated that 2-40 exabytes (1 billion GB) of data will be needed by 2025 just for human genome data.

The goal of this Cloud project is to help researchers explore the use of AI and data analytics tools across vast genomics data sets. It is hoped that students using the new platform will become future leaders in the field of data science.

“The purpose of this project – the first of its kind in Ireland – is to maximise the benefits of technological advances in cloud computing to support genomics research and future applications of genomics in Ireland,” CRT director at NUIG Cathal Seoighe said.

“Having the opportunity to work closely with local technology experts from CloudCIX and DefineTech to help shape cloud computing services for Genomics in Ireland and to train a cohort of highly skilled cloud native PhD graduates is the most exciting aspect of this joint venture,” Seoighe added.

The centre is one of six CRTs funded under a €100M Science Foundation Ireland initiative first launched in 2019. It aims to train more than 100 PhD students at NUIG, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Cork, Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast.

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