Institutions from Austria and Romania have become beneficiaries in the ELIXIR-STEERS project, taking the number of countries represented in the project to 25. The new countries join eight months into the project, which lasts three years.
ELIXIR-STEERS is a €4 million, EU funded project which is expanding ELIXIR’s expertise in software management and workflows to support cross-border federated analysis in the life sciences. An additional objective is to support ELIXIR Nodes in their operations.
Both Austria and Romania are ELIXIR Observers and are on the path to full ELIXIR Membership. Becoming partners in the ELIXIR-STEERS project will enable both countries to build links with ELIXIR communities, particularly those in software and workflows.
Andy Smith, Coordinator of ELIXIR-STEERS said “I’m delighted that bioinformatics communities in both Austria and Romania will now be able to engage in the ELIXIR-STEERS project. As both countries move from being an Observer in ELIXIR to a Member, it is important that they can connect to strategic activities in ELIXIR. The work taking place in ELIXIR-STEERS to support the operation of ELIXIR Nodes will be valuable to Austria and Romania as they establish their respective ELIXIR Nodes in the coming years.”
Thomas Rattei, future Head of Node of ELIXIR Austria and Professor at the University of Vienna, said “Participation in ELIXIR-STEERS is very beneficial to ELIXIR Austria. The project connects us to ELIXIR as we build up the Node and transition from Observer status to a Member. The resources provided by ELIXIR-STEERS will foster the development of our Node significantly.”
Claudia Banescu, legal representative of Romanian Cluster of Bioinformatics, Head of Genetics Department University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology GE Palade Tg Mures, Romania, said “Including Romania in the ELIXIR-STEERS project is an important step in advancing bioinformatics in our country. By joining this initiative, we will be able to develop and strengthen the ELIXIR Romania Node, benefiting from the expertise of the ELIXIR community. Being part of ELIXIR-STEERS connects us to strategic activities within ELIXIR, particularly in the areas of software management and workflows. Joining ELIXIR-STEERS will significantly accelerate the development of our ELIXIR Node and enhance collaborations with other countries and scientific communities within the network. We are excited to be part of this project.”
For further information about ELIXIR-STEERS, please contact steers-coordination [at] elixir-europe.org.