http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HG-13-003.html
Purpose
The National Institutes of Health is launching Big Data to
Knowledge (BD2K), an initiative to address how best to manage and utilize the
large amounts of biomedical data that new technologies can generate (http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2012/od-07.htm).
This initiative resulted from a set of recommendations from the Data and
Informatics Working Group to the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH (Data and Informatics Working Group).
As part of the its response to the recommendations, NIH has established a
working group to develop plans to implement new programs to increase training in
this area, and this working group intends to convene a workshop to discuss
training and education needs in how to manage and utilize large complex data
sets. Prior to the workshop, NIH wishes to collect information and relevant
materials that will help inform the discussions of the workshop
participants.
Background
The era of ‘Big Data’ has arrived for biomedical research,
bringing with it immense challenges as well as spectacular opportunities. In
this context, ‘Big Data’ is meant to reflect the challenges facing biomedical
researchers of all stripes in accessing, organizing, analyzing, and integrating
datasets that are increasingly larger, more complex, and more numerous. These
data are also of diverse types that must be integrated, including imaging,
phenotypic, molecular, exposure, health, and many other types of biomedical,
behavioral and clinical data. While used here for convenience, the phrase ‘Big
Data’ is intended to be shorthand for the reality that biomedical research has
become a data-intensive enterprise.
Advances in biomedical sciences using Big Data will require
more scientists with appropriate expertise and skills, some of whom will be
critical members of interdisciplinary teams. NIH is interested in increasing
funding for long- and short-term training at all professional levels, in areas
essential for accessing, organizing, analyzing, and integrating biomedical Big
Data (e.g., computational biology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, the
quantitative sciences, and related areas).
Information Requested
The workshop will address the long- and short-term training
needs of professionals and trainees with the purposes of increasing the number
of: (1) informaticians and computational and quantitative scientists who wish to
apply their skills and knowledge in the biomedical, behavioral and clinical
sciences and (2) biomedical, behavioral, and clinical scientists who have the
requisite knowledge and skills to effectively access, organize, analyze, and
integrate large and complex data sets. To aid in planning this workshop,
responses are being sought from the extramural community on the following:
Characteristics and Contents of Plans for
Cross-Training Biomedical, Behavioral, Clinical, Computational, and Quantitative
Scientists and Informaticians at All Career Levels:
- Doctoral and postdoctoral training programs that will be needed to expand the capabilities of the targeted groups to use Big Data, with special attention to the training and mentoring environments.
- Short-term training, including course content that will be needed to cross-train the targeted groups and undergraduates.
- New curriculum and other training materials that will be needed to cross-train the targeted groups and undergraduates.
