Spoke 7- Biocomputing and the Innovation of Personalized Care
Coordinated by the University of Bari, Spoke 7 is a horizontally positioned spoke focused on Biocomputing, a strategic field given that biology has become a science based on big data. For example, modern computational biology companies offer whole genome sequencing tests for as little as €300. Not only does Spoke 7 act as a service provider for vertical Spoke activities but it also plays a crucial role in building an advanced computational ecosystem that is accessible to the entire national research network. Spoke 7 infrastructures are equipped with cloud and GPU resources designed to support approaches based on artificial intelligence.
Structures and Objectives – With seven partner institutions, the main objective of Spoke 7 is to create innovative computational environments thanks to the construction of a data center in the southern Italian region of Bari, which serves as a reference point for cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Challenges – The project is not without its challenges. The consequences left behind by the pandemic and current geopolitical conflicts have brought continuous complications in the procurement of materials. Furthermore, creating synergies between the different NRRP projects, such as ELIXIR, the European life sciences infrastructure that enables researchers to access and analyze large sources of data.
Data and Security Ecosystems – Spoke 7 aims to build an ecosystem of advanced data and analytics tools that guide the development of innovative, safe, effective, and sustainable therapeutic strategies.