University of California San Francisco (UCSF), UC Davis, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have formed a Tri-Institutional Partnership in Microbiome Research (TrIP Microbiome) to catalyze and fund novel, bold, and potentially transformative collaborative microbiome research projects. A unique aspect of the partnership is its data-driven focus and data infrastructure, brought through the participation of the Berkeley Lab-led National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC). The NMDC is working with TrIP Microbiome researchers to catalyze experimental co-design between biologists and computational scientists, adoption of data management best practices, and open science to enable cross-study comparison and machine learning.

At the February workshop organized by the NMDC, the MOU creating TrIP Microbiome was formally signed. From L to R in foreground: Keith Yamamoto and Sam Hawgood (UCSF); Fred Myers (Director of the Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences, UC Davis); Mike Witherell and Horst Simon (Berkeley Lab). In the back row (L to R): Elisha Wood-Charlson (NMDC Engagement Lead), Mary Maxon (Berkeley Lab), Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh, NMDC Lead, and Kjiersten Fagnan (NMDC Infrastructure Lead). (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

In February, the NMDC hosted over 85 attendees from the three institutions to announce the $1 million seed grant program and encourage cross-institutional team formation. As a result, 15 team proposals were submitted for review and in May, the TrIP leadership committee awarded 5 teams with funding.

Read more about the awarded teams and their proposed work in the Berkeley Lab News Center.