Genome of Europe Kick-off
The kick-off meeting for the Genome of Europe (GoE) project took place on October 30, 2024, aboard the historic ship SS Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The Genome of Europe project marks a significant step in genetic research within the European Union. With a total budget of €45 million, €25 million, which comes from participating countries, this initiative is positioned to unlock new insights into the complex interplay of genetics in various diseases. The DNA database will be instrumental for researchers aiming to understand genetic predispositions that vary across population groups, such as lactose intolerance and hereditary diseases like sickle cell or type II diabetes.
The kick-off meeting for the Genome of Europe (GoE) project markes the beginning of the ambitious pan-European initiative to create a comprehensive reference genome database, representative of Europe’s diverse populations. Organized by Erasmus Medical Center, the event brought together researchers from 51 institutions across 29 countries to plan and coordinate the project's goals, which include sequencing the genomes of 100,000 European citizens by 2028. The meeting set a collaborative tone for advancing personalized medicine and enhancing Europe’s genomic research landscape.
The Ruđer Bošković Institute represented by the Laboratory for advanced genomics will coordinate the Croatian efforts to generate the first ever Croatian Reference genome that will consist of 1200 whole genome sequences (WGS, 30x coverage).