NGS-CN
Next Generation Sequencing Competence Network
The NGS Competence Centers
The Next Generation Sequencing Competence Network (NGS-CN) is an initiative funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). It is brought together by four NGS Competence Centers (NGS-CCs):
- the Competence Center for Genomic Analysis Kiel (CCGA) at the University of Kiel
- the Dresden-Concept Genome Center (DcGC) at the TUD Dresden University of Technology
- the Core Facility Genomics (NCCT) at the University of Tübingen
- the West German Genome Center (WGGC), a collaboration led by the University of Cologne that also involves the Universities of Bonn and Düsseldor
News from the network
NGS Technology
Next Generation Sequencing has emerged as a key technology in both life and medical sciences, and as such it continuously evolves and improves. The goal of the NGS Competence Network (or immediately NGS-CN) is to harmonize NGS services across state-of-the-art national core facilities. Such an approach ensures the best results for developing, advancing, and providing this essential technology, and increasing availability throughout scientists in Germany . As it happens for similar NGS networks world-wide, the NGS Competence Network can increase the international visibility of the participating institutes and bring a strong collaborative structure to advance Germany’s genome research scientific landscape.
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) services can be obtained through the NGS-CN. The following are a few options:
- Apply for NGS sequencing within the DFG call. The calls are announced by the DFG on their website.
- Apply to the DFG in a normal application process and also engage with the NGS centers upfront for collaboration on sequencing.
- Contact the NGS centers directly with your project requests funded by different sources. Please contact us via contact[at]ngs-cn.de or use our contact form. For all of these options, we can provide you contacts for consulting and interaction with the NGS centers
Want to stay up-to-date with our outreach activities such as the Explain Podcast? Check the SIG1 channels below!
Special Interest Groups
Experts and members from all partner sites of the NGS-CN have constituted 5 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – working groups focusing on topics relevant for operational and strategic decisions
SIG-1 is a communication pillar within NGS-CN. In this place sci-outreach projects grow strong to be shared with everyone interested in genomic life science research.
We offer space for early career researchers where they could advance in chosen career paths or/and identify new ones. Our events serve as a networking hub for newcomers and senior scientists to meet&greet, develop ideas together and find new colleagues!
The SIG-1 team is behind the NGS-CN website as well as multiple social media channels to deliver crisp clear info about the recent activity within our network and to communicate with you – feel free to reach out!
Connect via: LinkedIn, BlueSky, NGS-CN website, WGGC website.
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Knowledge-rich scientific events are coordinated by sci-officers & NGS-CN volunteers – we’re happy to have an engaging network and co-create!
We meet at online events such as NGS-CN webinars and NGS-CN Schools.
We focus on exchange and network on site – such recurrent meetings as Bio-Data Science Evenings in Düsseldorf and Data Analysis Cafe in Dresden are emerging at our selected production sites. More to come – we enjoy chatting about science and share their know-hows!
Contact: iuliia.novoselova[at]hhu[dot]de
SIG-2 advances the NGS-CN scientific collaborations & makes the network visible on the political arena.
Long term strategies include supporting large sequencing projects outside of the specific DFG NGS calls and acquisition of third-party funds. The NGS-CN is for example a partner of the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) pilot projects.
A special focus is on information technologies and artificial intelligence, with the NGS-CN actively involved with the breakthrough Swarm Learning technology.
Future strategic activities will also include biobanks (e.g. in the area of the Leibniz Institutes) and partnerships with industry.
Contact: contact[at]ngs-cn[dot]de
SIG-3 implements the standardization of genomic applications proposed at the NGS-CN. Our overall aim is to ensure the quality and reproducibility of generated NGS data regardless of the production site.
The group promotes innovative solutions, proposes support for developing and evaluating new technologies, and organises the exchange of expertise and transfer of know-hows.
The group also promotes the usage of laboratory management systems to control and harmonise collaborating production, and the standardization of project consulting for most popular NGS applications.
Contact: nicolas.casadei[at]med.uni-tuebingen[dot]de
SIG 4 advises on, harmonizes, and consolidates analysis pipelines to be used for automated NGS data analysis within the NGS-CN. SIG 4 thereby pursues two main goals.
It aims to establish common measures and platforms for quality control of primary, secondary, and tertiary NGS data analysis.
It serves as an exchange platform for data analysis ideas and concepts, as well as pipelines, methods, and tool developments..
Contact: johannes.koester[at]uni-due[dot]de
The SIG-5 team develops strategies towards harmonized data management, protection and privacy policies within NGS-CN.
Their spectrum of work includes but not limited to:
Laboratory information management system (LIMS) to track project processing in the laboratory
High data security and data privacy standards development
Implementation of data privacy regulations according to the EU-GDPR
Contact: susanne.motameny[at]uni-koeln[dot]de