Project

KD-BIO: large-scale data science and AI infrastructure for the green life sciences

From DNA, single-celled and multi-celled organisms, to complex global ecosystems; understanding biological relationships at all organizational levels of life and their responses to environmental changes, is crucial for ensuring sustainable food production, circular biosystems, and a healthy living environment. Modern technology can help unravel these relationships, but we need advanced data science (DS) and artificial intelligence (AI) to fully exploit the large volumes of data generated by new technologies. Knowledge Discovery-BIO (KD-BIO) is a unique large-scale research infrastructure that grants researchers in the green life sciences access to advanced DS & AI tools, and supports, trains, and connects them in utilizing these tools.

The Netherlands and Europe harbour state-of-the-art research equipment that allows for the characterization of living systems by green life scientists. However, to capitalize on the wealth of multidimensional datasets generated by existing research infrastructures and organizations, advanced DS&AI methods are required. KD-BIO is able to fill this void. With KD-BIO, a consortium including Wageningen University & Research, UU, UvA, LUMC, WI-KNAW, NIOO-KNAW and the Jan IngenHousz Institute, will build a unique infrastructure for collaboratively developing, sharing, and applying DS & AI techniques for interdisciplinary knowledge discoveries and scientific innovation.

Applications range from ecology (ecosystem adaptation and resilience to climate change) and food & nutrition (human consumption and health related to sustainable food production), to plant breeding (the development of plant varieties with new and improved traits) and biotechnology (accelerating the development of cell factories).

Connecting communities

The innovative KD-BIO infrastructure bridges several green life science and data initiatives in the Netherlands and Europe. It will empower scientists associated with these initiatives with a suite of advanced DS & AI tools and services, facilitating the integration and analysis of data generated across various infrastructures, and fostering interdisciplinary knowledge discovery. This will accelerate the generation of impact by the partner infrastructures and organizations.

The four modules of KD-BIO

The KD-BIO infrastructure includes:

  1. Data management and semantic technologies
  2. Advanced AI components
  3. Virtual Research Environment (VRE)
  4. Community- and capacity building (including training, consultancy, and support)

National Research Infrastructure

The consortium partners have submitted a proposal to NWO for KD-BIO to be admitted to the Dutch national Research Infrastructure. With this instrument, NWO stimulates establishing and upgrading large-scale research facilities and research infrastructure that enables the Netherlands to capture and hold its prominent international position.