The Global Biodata Conference is an annual event hosted by the Global Biodata Coalition (GBC) , bringing together communities from across the international biodata ecosystem to consider the future sustainability of global biodata infrastructure.
The conference combines keynote lectures, panels and flash talks from funders, infrastructure providers, policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders. The programme will respond to emerging topics in the biodata field, track progress, explore challenges and opportunities, and discuss how the global community can work together to strengthen the long-term sustainability of biodata resources.
Global Biodata Conference 2026
The inaugural Global Biodata Conference will take place on 7-8 October 2026 at the Møller Institute, Cambridge, UK. While the full conference is invitation only, the first session will be live streamed on Zoom and open to anyone. A recording will be made available after the event.
The live streamed programme will include:
Welcome from co-chairs of GBC Board of Funders
Jo McEntyre (Deputy Director, EMBL EBI) & Henriette van Eijl (Deputy Director / Head of Unit for Health and Societal Transitions, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission)
The Global Biodata Coalition – working cooperatively for global biodata resource sustainability
Philippe Sanseau (GBC Executive Head) & Guy Cochrane (GBC Scientific Head)
Funding organisation perspectives
Naveed Aziz (Chief Data Officer, Genome Canada)
Rachel McKendry (Executive Director, Discovery, Wellcome)
Michelle Mulder (Executive Director of the Grants, Innovation and Product Development, South Africa MRC)
Henriette Van Eijl (Deputy Director/Head of Unit for Health & Societal Transition, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission)
Amanda Collis (Executive Director, UKRI – BBSRC)
Keynote talk: Open genomes from Tree of Life and the vision of the Earth BioGenome Project
Mark Blaxter (Head of the Tree of Life Programme and Senior Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute)
Challenge, opportunity and cooperation
The full programme will explore key issues affecting the sustainability of biodata infrastructure, including scientific and technological change, funding and policy trends, and new concrete approaches to supporting resilient global data resources.
Session topics will include:
- The challenges and opportunities currently facing biodata sustainability
- New cooperative approaches to sustainability models and partnerships across biodata resources
- Perspectives from Global Biodata Core Resources and funders
- Extending participation in biodata resource sustainability
Keynote speakers:
- Open genomes from Tree of Life and the vision of the Earth BioGenome Project, Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life Programme and Senior Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute
- Biodata for Discovery: Cultivating environmental intelligence, Sabina Leonelli, Professor of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, Technical University of Munich
- TBC, Jerry Sheehan, Director of the Directorate for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- TBC, Joanna Betts, Executive Director, GSK
- Emerging challenges for data science – a global perspective, Nicola Mulder, Professor and Head of the Computational Biology (CBIO) division, University of Cape Town
The conference will also provide networking opportunities for discussion between funders, data resource managers, infrastructure providers, policymakers, and researchers.