Expertise Centre ALIFE Hanzehogeschool Groningen

The facility has state-of-the-art bioinformatics computing infrastructure that is accredited as ‘excellent’ for research and education by the Dutch-Flemisch accreditation organization (NVAO) and first-class laboratory facilities. Research is performed by staff (at PhD level and MSc level), that is involved in research and education; students may participate when possible. Available for bioinformatics research and consultation are a dedicated team with skilled programmers (software evaluation and development) and trained biology researchers for high throughput data analysis and interpretation. We specialize on next gen DNA data analysis, data visualization and data mining. As we are close to education, explaining what we do, listening to wishes and desires of co-workers/end-users and making things work is integral part of our mode of operation. We have contributed many bioinformatics bachelors to the Dutch science community and therefore have a broad network of contacts, expertise and infrastructure.

The facility is part of the Institute for Life Science & Technology of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences is responsible for fulltime Bachelor of Applied Sciences (BAS) curricula in bio(techno)logy, medical diagnostics, chemistry, chemical technology and bioinformatics with over 800 students and 56 fte staff. The Institute has a rapidly growing research facility (ALIFE) with two professorships, one in Life Sciences including bioinformatics and a second one in Food Ingredients and Health. The institute is involved in many different research projects that focusing on the core research topics of the university, healthy ageing and energy. The institute has state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and bioinformatics computing infrastructure (the latter accredited as ‘excellent’ by the NVAO ). Research is performed by staff (predominantly at PhD-level), that is balancing research and education; students are involved when possible. Research is largely carried out in open innovation consortia in close collaboration with (small size) companies and research universities. It involves both wet lab analysis and big data bioinformatics analyses of food digestion, biogas production (metagenomics), and a variety of other projects such as SNP calling in complex genomes.