Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute (INB) Information

The Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute (‘Instituto Nacional de Bioinformática’ - INB), founded in 2003 with a decentralized model, is the bioinformatics technology platform of the Carlos III Health Institute (‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III‘ - ISCIII) since January 2018. Currently, the INB is a network of 19 nodes located at 12 different research institutions and is coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS). Its central node coordinates the interactions of the INB nodes within the network and beyond. The two main overarching objectives are maintaining and increasing the alignment of the INB with ELIXIR (European Life Science Infrastructure for Biological Information) looking for deeper synergies, while increasing the translational capacity of the INB towards the Spanish National Health System (SNS). The INB serves in the coordination, integration and development of Spanish bioinformatics resources in projects in the areas of genomics, proteomics and translational medicine. It has contributed to the creation of a consistent computational infrastructure in the area of bioinformatics, participated in national and international genome projects, and trained bioinformatics users and developers. The INB is in a strategic position as an interface between developments at the national and international level by research centers, initiatives such as the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), and organizations such as ELIXIR, and bioinformatic groups directly related to clinical practice. Spain is member of ELIXIR since 2015, with the INB as the Spanish national node. Within ELIXIR, the INB is responsible for the bioinformatics infrastructure offered by Spain, and therefore, should guarantee its alignment to the strategic areas put forward by ELIXIR.