FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS IN THE NORDIC COUNTRIES

- A SATELLITE MEETING OF THE 2ND ESF CONFERENCE FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS AND DISEASE

Ole P. Ottersen, Chairman of the FUGE board

www.fuge.no

Nature 15 July 2004 pp. 311- 316.

Nordic collaboration: an efficient response to future challenges?

THE BACKDROP:

David A. King: The scientific impact of nations (Nature 15 July 2004 pp. 311 – 316):

”The smaller northern European countries are snapping at the top seven’s heels and would be in this premier division if combined.”

FUGE (WITH MEDCOAST SCANDINAVIA) HAS TAKEN A LEADING ROLE IN PROMOTING NORDIC COLLABORATION IN FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS AND HAS SIGNED AGREEMENTS WITH SWEGENE AND WCN FOR JOINT USE OF TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS

FUGE HAS FUNDING UNTIL END OF 2011:

~150 MILL NOK PER YEAR PLUS SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE HOST INSTITUTIONS

Six academic institutions are involved:

•University of Tromsø

•Norwegian University of Science and Technology

•University of Bergen

•University of Oslo

•University of Life Sciences

•Norwegian School of Veterinary Science

Each university region is allocated responsibility for building up expertise in specific fields, and to provide services on a national basis

FUGE’S BACKBONE: THE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS

FUGE 2002 – 2003:ESTABLISHMENT OF 11 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS

•BIOINFORMATICS

•MOLECULAR IMAGING

•PROTEOMICS

•MICROARRAYS

•INTEGRATIVE GENETICS

•STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY

•BIOBANKS

•MODEL ORGANISMS (MOUSE, MICRO-ORGANISMS, ARABIDOPSIS)

AIM:

”TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE OF NORWEGIAN AND NORDIC RESEARCH IN SELECT AREASS OF FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS AND TO POINT TO EXISTING AND FUTURE TOPICS FOR NORDIC AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION”

Andreas Bureus's (1571-1646) large wall map of Scandinavia was completed in 1626. It was engraved by V. Trautman and printed in Stockholm. This map of Scandinavia drawn with scientific accuracy turned a new page in the history of cartography. Dozens of impressions made from Bureus's map during the following decades made Scandinavia and Finland well-known everywhere where maps were printed.

Royal Library in Stockholm.