NIH: BD2K Biomedical Science Training Coordination Center
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications for a coordination center designed to narrow the gap between the availability of biomedical big data and the ability of biomedical scientists to utilize such data accurately, effectively, and efficiently. The funding opportunity announcement, NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Biomedical Science Training Coordination Center (RFA-ES-15-004), responds to increasingly large, diverse, and complex biomedical datasets. These datasets tax conventional methods for sharing, managing, and analyzing data. Researchers’ abilities to capitalize on biomedical big data science-based approaches are limited by poor data accessibility and interoperability, the lack of appropriate tools, and insufficient training.
The Big Data to Knowledge initiative is a trans-NIH initiative; the term “Biomedical Big Data” includes the “diverse digital objects which may have impact in basic, translational, clinical, social, behavioral, environmental, or informatics research questions.”
Achieving the FOA’s goals will require: (1) bringing together individuals involved in training and career development programs to network and share experiences; (2) engaging individuals developing open educational resources in meaningful dialogue to ensure that the resources they develop will be freely available and easy to access by the broader biomedical community; and (3) creating an online discovery index with personalized views of educational resources. Accordingly, the Biomedical Data Science Training Coordination Center (TCC) is expected to have: (1) developed a network of scientists involved in biomedical big data science, and (2) produced a discovery index that serves as a primary source for personalized access to publicly available biomedical data science educational resources. In addition, the TCC will sponsor and coordinate meetings, workshops, and rotations. It is also expected to develop technology and a web portal to communicate activity and provide personalized access to educational resources.
For more information see the announcement.