Panelists and presenters

The rationale for this statement of resolutions to be adopted by the conference is as follows. A statement made at the emergence of a field (in this case, developing country application of bioinformatics to pressing problems, networking between north and south bioinformatics groups, and the emerging discipline of bioinformatics itself) can often have a supportive effect on members and developers of the field. Resolutions made can be submitted to governments, societies, universities, city managements and company executives to help support the development of infrastructure, training, and networking/travel between members of the group. It can also have an impact on development and awareness of the existing groups through the press, enabling further development of bioinformatics in countries where the discipline is likely to have a powerful leveraged effect - an aim of the InCoB meeting.

To that end, we the panelists of the Mini-Symposium have put together a set of draft resolutions at the Bangkok meeting set out below.

Comment should be directed at regional members of the panel, for dissemination and discussion through the APBioNet secretariat [email protected].

InCOB 2002 Bangkok Resolutions

The InCoB conference,

comprising the international panel of distinguished keynote and plenary speakers, participants and the organisers, and delegates from more than 20 countries, and from 6 international organisations

having had several days of intensive talks, meeting sessions and interactions in Bangkok, and
having discussed key issues related to Bioinformatics in the North-South Networking MiniSymposium,
do hereby declare that

in view of
the enormous amount of resources and funding invested in Biotechnology over the past two decades, and
the concurrent rapid development of a new generation of skills and technologies in fields broadly classified as or associated with Bioinformatics,
we recognise the crucial and urgent need to enhance the integration and utilisation of Bioinformatics in biotechnology and bioscientific endeavour,

such that our life scientists in our respective domains, shall be well equipped to carry out tomorrow's research.

Pursuant to this recognition, we, members of the bioinformatics community North AND South, such as is represented in this conference, do hereby make the following resolutions:

Resolution 1 Bioinformatics Integration

We hereby resolve to take the necessary proactive steps in our respective areas of responsibility and spheres of influence,

from the highest levels of governance and policy making to the lowest level of implementation,

to ensure the full integration of enabling bioinformatics techniques and technologies into biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences.

Resolution 2 Bioinformatics Cooperation

Taking cognizance of our respective areas of skills, competence and excellence,
we hereby resolve to identify specific areas of bioinformatics cooperation in which we can synergise our strengths and complement and compensate for our weaknesses.

These areas of cooperation can include the creative involvement and the intelligent use of bioinformatics and all its allied disciplines in the domains of Agriculture, Medicine, Environmental Sciences, BioDiversity and Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Traditional Cures among others.

Resolution 3 Information and Software Sharing

In recognition that no one group can have full ownership and access to the whole spectrum of bioinformatics resources and technologies, and in order to optimise limited resources,

we resolve to participate in aspects of information and software sharing, from the awareness of grant, funding and other opportunities to open source software and publicly accessible databases, and the intellectual properties arising therefrom.

Resolution 4 Building Bioinformatics Infrastructure

In full recognition that there is a wide discrepancy in the levels of accessible computational resources in our midst, particularly between the haves and have-nots,
we strongly resolve to build a shared bioinformatics computational infrastructure,
from the underlying advanced networking framework to computational hardware resources
through a full cooperative programmatic effort of the bioinformatics community, North-South, South-South, East-West, with other related groups, international organisations and with industry

Resolution 5 Human Resource Development

As a result of this conference, we recognise many pockets of bioinformatics research excellence scattered in our respective locations.
We also recognise the rapidly increasing level of interest in bioinformatics amongst our communities.

We hereby resolve to reinforce and expand these areas of expertise through systematic and institutionalised human resource development, technical training, scientific exchanges, outreach and awareness at all levels of scientific manpower, including scientific policy makers and other decision makers.

Signed by on behalf of the conference

Yongyuth Yuthavong, Thailand
Prasit Palittapongarnpim, Thailand (BioTec)
Tan Tin Wee, Singapore (APBioNet)
Phil Bourne, USA (ISCB)
Supa Hannongbua, Thailand
Shoba Ranganathan, Singapore (APBioNet)
Tim Hubbard, UK (Sanger)
Winston Hide, South Africa (SANBI, African Bioinformatics Network, ISCB, EMBnet)
Carlos Morel, Brazil (WHO)
Julio Collado, Mexico

Due Process: