BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Scientists call for microbiome consortium

October 29, 2015 2:41 AM UTC

An interdisciplinary group of U.S. scientists proposed the creation of the Unified Microbiome Initiative, a consortium to coordinate funding from federal institutions, private foundations and industry to advance understanding and applications of Earth's microbial ecosystems. The group proposed the initiative in a commentary to be published in Science on Friday.

The initiative began in meetings led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Kavli Foundation (Oxnard, Calif.) in December 2014. Jack Gilbert, a University of Chicago professor and Argonne National Laboratory group leader for microbial ecology, told BioCentury an initial consortium has since formed a governing body and advisory committee. Argonne and the University of Chicago are founding members of the initiative. ...