PomBase, the model organism database for the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), has been awarded ELIXIR-UK Node Service status.
ELIXIR-UK Node Services support the bioinformatics and broader biological sciences research communities, and agree on best practices at national, European and international levels. ELIXIR unites Europe's leading life science organisations in managing and safeguarding the increasing volume of data being generated by publicly-funded research. This makes it easier to discover, store and analyse biological data.
The review panel describes PomBase as a "mature, leading model organism database which is popular, unique, well used, and has a strong user community". Being recognised as an ELIXIR-UK Node Service demonstrates that PomBase is an important resource and that it fulfils the ELIXIR Node Service criteria, including good governance, scientific focus and quality, and a high international impact and level of usage. The most significant benefits of ELIXIR-UK Node Service status are the ability to demonstrate to funders that PomBase is a necessary component of research infrastructure; it also raises the profile of PomBase within ELIXIR's communities and platforms.
Looking ahead the review panel were keen to see Canto, the pioneering generic community curation tool developed by Kim Rutherford of PomBase, employed for other species. This is especially rewarding as PomBase is the first model organism database to promote a widely-used community curation program and has succeeded in making community curation the primary mechanism for the input of data from new publications.