CHALLENGE
A national government organization approached BioTeam to help them understand how the organization and the IT department could better meet scientists’ needs. They faced several primary challenges:-
- The need to develop a better understanding of researcher requirements at the institution
- The need for advice and support on how to meet these requirements
- Aging infrastructure without a centralized storage system able to meet either the increased data growth or demand to share data easily
APPROACH
This project is a long-running engagement between BioTeam and the organization to provide holistic scientific IT support and strategy ranging from infrastructure to bioinformatics.During the project’s initial phase, BioTeam conducted a deep-dive scientific assessment of IT and scientific data storage needs across all the organization’s labs and cores and an in-depth evaluation of the current network infrastructure.
The evaluation resulted in a wide range of recommendations, including the need for significant improvements including:
- A need for an extensive, expandable scientific data storage system
- Data management and sharing support including trainings
- Modernization of the scientific network infrastructure to support larger datasets
- Bioinformatics support accessible to all researchers in the organization, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Hire a dedicated Scientific Information Officer and develop an IT strategic plan.
OUTCOMES AND NEXT STEPS
BioTeam established a new Scientific Information Office at the organization that directly supports their researchers and scientific mission.
- BioTeam successfully installed a scientific data storage system for the institution. Researchers are transitioning away from USB sticks and external hard drives for storage and data sharing and instead are utilizing a centralized institution-wide system.
- Previous unmet needs have been identified and filled, such as implementing an application for the tracking, annotating, and data management of biospecimens through open-source software.
- Several internal groups have been created, including a Clinical IT Strategic Group and Scientific IT Advisory Committee. By facilitating these groups, BioTeam has improved communication and understanding of the scientific IT needs and the security concerns that both researchers and IT face. Issues raised are now addressed collaboratively, resulting in solutions that improve the productivity of the research staff.
- BioTeam continues to work closely with organization leadership to evolve the Scientific Information Office to meet the needs of researchers and align it with the mission.
