[SCAN] Empowering and Engaging Portuguese Researchers in Bioinformatics and Life & Health Data

Title: Empowering and Engaging Portuguese Researchers in Bioinformatics and Life & Health Data - BioData.pt | ELIXIR Portugal

Speaker: Inês Chaves 

From: Executive Director (BioData.pt) & Deputy Head of Node (ELIXIR Portugal)

Abstract:

BioData.pt is Portugal’s distributed research infrastructure for data management in life and health sciences, driving innovation across research, clinical, and industrial sectors. As the Portuguese Node of ELIXIR—the European life sciences infrastructure for biological information—BioData.pt plays a key role in connecting national expertise to the wider European data ecosystem.

  Its mission is to:

• Enable scientists to access, store, and analyse biological data efficiently.
• Support federated and FAIR data management services.
• Equip institutions for sustainable, long-term research.
• Build capacity to turn biological data into knowledge that benefits science and society.

A non-profit association of 15 member institutions, BioData.pt has been part of Portugal’s National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures since 2013. Its teams develop software, databases, and training resources that aim for ELIXIR Core Resource recognition and European funding opportunities

Currently, BioData.pt contributes to seven European projects (e.g., MALDIBANK, AGROSERV, STEERS, ENTRUST) and six ELIXIR initiatives focused on capacity building, node development, and training (e.g., SPARKLE, BRIDGES, DATAREX). Together, these efforts strengthen Portugal’s position in bioinformatics and life & health data, empowering researchers and fostering collaboration across Europe.