Mobilization of the bioinformatics community for Romania’s joining to ELIXIR
The bioinformatics community of Romania and the Romanian Diaspora has demonstrated remarkable mobilization in supporting the draft law regarding Romania’s accession to ELIXIR.
During the Smart Diaspora 2025 conference, participants in the bioinformatics-focused workshops expressed warm and consistent support for the CRB initiative and for the steps needed to integrate Romania into the European ELIXIR network. Building on this momentum, a process of collecting signatures in support of ELIXIR joining was launched.
Mobilization results: 391 researchers, academics, students, medical professionals, and experts—affiliated with research and educational institutions across the country as well as with the Scientific Diaspora—signed in support of the draft law for Romania’s accession to the European life-science infrastructure for biological information (ELIXIR). The signatures come from 14 institutions in Romania, supplemented by lists collected during several workshops at Smart Diaspora 2025.
The signatures come from numerous prestigious institutions, demonstrating interdisciplinary alignment among bioinformatics experts in Romania, as well as from related fields such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, Biology, Ecology, Chemistry, Agronomy, and Computer Science. This support is grounded in the firm belief that Romania’s accession as a full member of the pan-European intergovernmental organization ELIXIR (which already includes 21 European countries) is a strategic step—absolutely vital for the future of Romanian research and education in the Life Sciences and Health fields.
The final document was sent to the Ministry of Education and Research, the initiator of the draft law, to be used in potential discussions with the committees of the Romanian Parliament, where the project is currently under debate. At this time, the draft law is being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies and has been submitted for review to two permanent committees—the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Education. The legislative process can be followed at the address: Draft Law – ELIXIR.
Regardless of the final legislative outcome, this mobilization demonstrates the maturity, solidarity, and dynamism of the bioinformatics community in Romania. The signal sent through this collective effort represents strong encouragement for all those involved in developing the field—from CRB and RSBI (the Romanian Society of Bioinformatics), to master’s programs and projects with bioinformatics components. The community has shown that it can act quickly, efficiently, and with unity when a common goal is at stake.
We thank everyone who contributed!