(We also highly recommend recommend viewing our BIRN Video Introduction by Carl Kesselman.)
BIRN helps biomedical researchers initiate and implement large-scale data solutions, regardless of how that data is structured, stored or accessed. We are a resource for existing consortia, those in formative stages, and researchers seeking like-minded colleagues in or outside their specialties, institutions and geographic areas. The common thread: well-defined, high-value problems that require sending and manipulating substantial quantities of biomedical data.
If you are:
- already working, or have plans to work, with multiples users and/or at multiple sites, such as university research labs and medical centers;
- seeking solutions to share, store and extract information from large biomedical databases, including data now stored in incompatible formats;
- interested in tools for data management, information integration and knowledge engineering, whether or not you have used such tools in the past;
- pursuing research to generate new knowledge, not just to share data; and/or
- targeting goals that would benefit a wide user base,
BIRN may be a valuable partner for you.
We invite you to fill out a contact form via the link below. A BIRN representative will respond within one week to discuss your request. If our services match your interests and research direction, s/he may refer you to a current BIRN member for assistance or to one of our working groups for more in-depth discussion.
Conversations with Working Group members will include:
- evaluating whether BIRN’s capabilities address your data usage needs
- identifying which BIRN tools and areas of expertise best match your project
- deciding who within BIRN will interact with your team, and how
- defining a mutually agreeable set of expectations, and
- creating a schedule responsive to your specific project variables, including size, scope, goals, resources, constraints and timelines.
We look forward to receiving your BIRN user inquiry. Alternatively, if you are primarily interested in locating prospective colleagues, please explore our finding collaborators search tool. We also invite you to join an electronic mailing list for updates on BIRN tools, expertise and other resources to help you conduct breakthrough research.
