Competence Centre for Genomic Analysis Kiel

• Subject Area: General Genetics and Functional Genome Biology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 407495230

Delineation of large sequence spaces by ultra-fast sequencing (“next-generation sequencing”, NGS) has become an important enabling tool across lifesciences.The main goal of this proposal is the sustainable implementation of a national DFG NGS Competence Centre at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, the Comprehensive Centre for Genomic Analysis (CCGA) Kiel. Although the platform is already anchored in national and international collaborations for 10 years and therefore reaches far beyond the local setting, the University recognizes the development into a competence centre as a strategic outreach and competitive edge in lifescience research at least for the next decade. The CCGA Kiel concentrates on 5 expertise areas (EAs): (I) Human Disease Genomics, (II) Evolutionary and Comparative Genomics, (III) Archeogenomics, (IV) Microbial Genomics and Microbiome Analysis and (V) Genomic methods and bioinformatics tools. The different implementation levels of the network, from project consulting to data analysis and sustainable management will allow for a stable conduct of large-scale NGS projects (e.g. SOP protocols, sample tracking, LIMS, bioinformatics central resource). The protocols provided by the CCGA will reflect the needs of the internal and external partners (e.g. genome sequencing across taxa, targeted re-sequencing, transcriptome sequencing and epigenome sequencing (DNAse I accessibility, ATAC, methylome, RRBS) and will be adapted if new questions and technologies arise. Dedicated primary liaison scientists (point of contact) will be available for each respective data type/protocol. Routes of analyses will range from routine data generation to individual scientific collaborations with full bioinformatics exploration. A link to the German Bioinformatics Network de.NBI has been established for further advice of partners. Existing governance rules have been further developed to guarantee stable and fair access to the competence centre for all external and internal partners. A key element of the steering body is a project committee, which will guide transparent project advice, scheduling and production processes. The liaison scientists will advise on study design, cost and power calculation and will provide their expertise to choose the optimal technology for each scientific question. The infrastructure is not meant as a mere service facility, but as a nucleus to gather the critical mass, expertise and infrastructure for innovative project development on the national and international level. Apart from NGS data production, the CCGA will foster the dissemination and application of NGS technologies across scientific fields through an educational program for all levels of users (from students to faculty). The program comprises the creation of curricular modules, which can be integrated into existing external master programs, hands-on courses, a lecture series and summer schools.

• DFG Programme: Major Instrumentation Initiatives
• Major Instrumentation: 2x System for Sample Preparation (Library Preparation System) ; High Throughput DNA Sequencer ; IT Infrastructure (Data Storage)
• Instrumentation Group: 1060 Dilutoren, Pipettiergeräte, Probennehmer ; 3150 DNA-Sequenzer ; 7100 Arbeitsspeicher, RAM
• Applicant Institution: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
• Leader: Professor Philip Caspar Rosenstiel, Ph.D.