Beyond One Million Genomes (B1MG) project

The Beyond 1 Million Genomes (B1MG) project is helping to create a network of genetic and clinical data across Europe. The project provides coordination and support to the 1+ Million Genomes Initiative (1+MG). This initiative is a commitment of 24 EU countries, the UK and Norway to give cross-border access to one million sequenced genomes by 2022.

But B1MG will go 'beyond' the 1+MG Initiative by creating long-term means of sharing data beyond 2022, and enabling access to beyond 1 million genomes. See the About page for an overview of the project.

Not sure what a 'genome' is? See the Simple guide to the science for an introduction to the biology behind B1MG.

How will the project benefit society?

Better health and treatments for illnesses

Researchers and clinicians will be able to compare people's genetic and clinical information at the same time. This will help them detect illnesses earlier, predict the development of disease, and decide on the best ways to improve health.

Economic benefits

Improvements in personalised medicine will make national health systems more efficient and cost-effective, and new insights into how genes affect a person's response to a drug will stimulate innovation and new products across the healthcare industry.

Have your say in the project

If your work relates to healthcare then you can join the B1MG Stakeholder Portal. This is a community that includes patient organisations, clinicians, academics, industry and funders, as well as the project participants. It gives you a chance to share ideas and influence the direction of the project. Register for the Portal

Project overview

Goals

To work with regional, national and European stakeholders to define the requirements for cross-border access to genomics and personalised medicine data.
To translate requirements for data quality, standards, technical infrastructure, and Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) into technical specifications and implementation guidelines that capture European best practice.
To drive adoption and support for long-term operations by providing guidance on phased development and a methodology for economic evaluation.

See the About page and Objectives and key results.

Coordinator

Serena Scollen (Head of Human Genomics and Translational Data, ELIXIR)
See How the project is organised.

Participants

28 European partners from 25 countries. Participants are from both academia and industry.
See Participants.

Duration

Three years (June 2020 - October 2023)

Funding

€4M, from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme

Contact

b1mg-coordination@elixir-europe.org

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