Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Convergent Genomics

工程研究中心规划拨款竞赛是ERC项目的试点征集。规划补助金不需要作为ERC竞赛的一部分，但它旨在在团队之间建立能力，以规划聚合的、中心规模的工程研究。基因组学正在改变21世纪的健康、自然和社会，因为新技术使基因组数据对越来越广泛的利益相关者可用、可访问和有用。然而，为了获得基因组学的变革效益，有必要更好地整合哪些基因组技术是可行的，哪些基因组技术是有用的。趋同基因组学适应了思想和技术的发展与受这些创新影响的个人、群体和机构之间不断变化的关系。聚合模型将工程、自然和社会科学领域的公认领导者与技术开发、基因组分析以及科学和社会影响分析的整合经验相结合。这项计划拨款将以一种最大限度地发挥融合基因组学力量的方式获取跨学科专业知识——也就是说，在基因组学中，工程师与自然和社会科学家一起工作，制定工作重点和实现这些重点所需的新型参与形式。通过确定研究主题、利益相关者和组织原则的一系列三次研讨会，将开发日益增长的基因组学社区面临的问题以及聚合基因组学所需的具体工具和资源。由于技术创新的速度、产生的数据量以及生成和解释这些数据所需的专业知识，基因组学面临着通过狭隘的研究社区发展的高风险，这些研究社区严重孤立，没有动力为社会的最佳利益服务。UCSC基因组学研究所在设备和仪器开发、基因组分析和社会科学方面拥有独特的专业知识，旨在成为工程技术领域的全球领导者，旨在最大限度地发挥技术力量和社会影响。通过一系列的三次规划会议，并在一名协调人的帮助下，我们将制定一个工程研究中心（ERC）的提案，其活动将围绕基因组学创新的四大支柱：集成设备和仪器技术；数据科学;培训下一代基因组工程工作人员；建立和保护基因组学领域的创新生态系统。这些支柱代表了我们提议的ERC的智力价值，需要一种远远超出小规模项目和小型研究团队范围的融合和整体方法，从而实现更广泛的影响，这是融合基因组创新的承诺。例如，收集分子信息的技术必须高效、准确地从不同的生物样本中收集分子信息，并将结果传达给广泛的利益相关者。只有当产生的数据和信息是可获取的、公平和公开的，并以认识到隐私和司法的复杂挑战的方式共享时，设备和工具才对公众有价值。同样，基因组数据和技术的存储、获取和所有权问题也带来了巨大的挑战，这些挑战将导致影响整个社会每个人的政策。实施跨部门本科生指导计划和与其他学术伙伴机构合作建立本科生研究经验（REU）网站等活动将使学员融入这一融合环境。将在整个规划期间开展公开讲习班、专题讨论会和外联活动，吸引公众和其他利益攸关方参与。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research.Genomics is transforming health, nature, and society in the 21st century, as new technologies make genomic data available, accessible, and useful to an increasingly wide range of stakeholders. To reap the transformative benefits of genomics, however, better integration between what genomic technologies are feasible and what genomic technologies are useful is necessary. Convergent genomics adapts to the changing relationship between the development of ideas and technology and the individuals, groups and institutions that are affected by these innovations. The convergent model integrates recognized leaders from engineering, natural, and social sciences with experience in technology development, genome analytics, and the integration of science and social impact analysis. This planning grant will capture interdisciplinary expertise in a manner that maximizes the power of convergent genomics--that is, a genomics in which engineers work alongside natural and social scientists, formulating the foci of work and the novel forms of engagement needed to realize them. Through a series of three workshops focused on identifying research themes, stakeholders, and organizing principles, the problems facing the growing genomics community and the specific tools and resources needed for convergent genomics will be developed. Genomics, due to the speed of technological innovation, volume of data produced, and expertise required to generate and interpret these data, is at high risk of evolving through narrowly focused research communities that are heavily siloed and not motivated to serve the best interests of society. The UCSC Genomics Institute has the unique combination of expertise in device and instrument development, genome analytics, and social sciences to be a global leader in engineering technologies that are designed to maximize both technological power and social impact. Through a series of three planning meetings and with the help of a facilitator, we will develop a proposal for an Engineering Research Center (ERC) with activities that will revolve around four pillars of genomics innovation: Integrated device and instrument technology; data science; training the next genomic engineering work force; and establishing and protecting the innovation ecosystem of the genomics field. These pillars, which represent the intellectual merit of our proposed ERC, require a convergent and holistic approach that far exceeds the scope of small-scale projects and small teams of investigators, thus achieving the broader impacts that are the promise of convergent genomic innovation. For instance, technologies that glean molecular information must do so from diverse biological samples efficiently and accurately and communicate results to a broad constituency of stakeholders. Devices and instruments are valuable to the public only if resulting data and information are accessible, equitable and open, and shared in a manner that is cognizant of the complex challenges of privacy and justice. Similarly, questions of storage of, access to, and ownership of genomic data and technologies present formidable challenges that will result in policies that affect everyone across society. Activities such as implementation of a cross-departmental undergraduate mentoring program and establishment of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in concert with other academic partner institutions will integrate trainees into this convergent environment. Open workshops, symposia, and outreach activities, which will be developed throughout the planning period, will engage the public and other stakeholders.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.