Bielefeld Institute for Bioinformatics Infrastructure

The process of establishing BIBI

Alfred Pühler; Bielefeld University

The impulse to found the BIBI institute came from the German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure (de.NBI).
The de.NBI network is a large-scale BMBF project that was initiated in 2015 and has since been successfully involved in developing a bioinformatics infrastructure. Since BMBF projects are generally time-limited, a sustainable continuation of the de.NBI network was considered from the beginning. A first approach was to make the network permanent in the frame of the Leibniz Association. To this end, plans were developed to combine the Bielefeld
parts of the de.NBI network in a “Bielefeld Institute for Bioinformatics Infrastructure” (BIBI) and to follow the plan to integrate the BIBI institute, together with the Information Centre for Life Sciences (ZB MED) in Cologne, into the Leibniz Association. This approach was taken from 2018 onwards. First, a cooperation agreement was signed between Bielefeld University and ZB MED. Subsequently, the BIBI institute was founded, whose administrative and user regulations (VBO) came into force in 2019.

The BIBI institute is headed by Jens Stoye and consisted of a total of six areas when it was founded. Two of these areas were dedicated to the administration and coordination offices of the de.NBI network and the German ELIXIR node. In addition, areas for cloud computing, microbial bioinformatics and graduate training were also established. The sixth area was planned as an area for service science in the life sciences for the head of the BIBI institute to be newly appointed. With the establishment of the BIBI institute, all the prerequisites have been provided to strive for the sustainable continuation of the de.NBI network together with ZB MED via the Leibniz track.

At the end of 2020, however, this plan was fundamentally changed. At the political level, it was decided that the continuation of the de.NBI network should take place within the framework of the Helmholtz Association. The Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) was given the task and also the financial support to take the de.NBI continuation into its hands. This development obviously had an impact on the BIBI institute. The de.NBI components of the BIBI institute were removed. However, the modified BIBI Institute, with its areas of service science, cloud computing, microbial bioinformatics and graduate training, was still highly topical and so future-oriented that the plan to join the Leibniz Association together with ZB MED could be continued. Incidentally, the structure of the modified BIBI institute was laid down in an amended VBO, which already came into force on 3 May 2021.