In early 2013, the Bioinformatics Resource Australia – EMBL carried out a survey of Australian life scientists in order to identify areas in which BRAEMBL could support those researchers to make optimal use of bioinformatics capabilities. More than 200 responses were received from across Australia, representing 750 researchers from all areas of biology.
Overall the picture is of ubiquitous use of the tools and data of bioinformatics, with a clear indication that it is no longer in the hands of specialist bioinformaticians but widely used by laboratory scientists.
Lack of expertise was identified as the single biggest difficulty facing researchers in their bioinformatics activities, and training as the most valuable thing that BRAEMBL could do to support those activities. Dry-lab researchers also highlighted a need for better bioinformatics community networks.
Key conclusions of the survey were:
- Bioinformatics is a key activity in Australian research as evidenced not only by the content of responses but also simply by the number of responses
- The areas of interest reflect the “central dogma” of molecular biology
- Not only bioinformaticians but also laboratory scientists see bioinformatics as core to their work
- Geographic location imposes significant but not crippling limitations on exploitation of bioinformatics
- Users are more likely to report satisfactory service (hardware, software and support) if it is provided within their own group
- There is a very marked concern about lack of expertise and access to expertise in bioinformatics
- Training and community building are the most sought after services
- There is a significant demand for training of a more general nature, in computer programming and statistics
Survey Background
The Bioinformatics Resource Australia – EMBL (BRAEMBL) was formed in early 2013 as an extension of the Australian EBI mirror project, an initiative designed to remove barriers of geographical remoteness for Australian bioinformatics. BRAEMBL also incorporates the Specialised Facility in Bioinformatics, a National Computational Infrastructure project to make compute resources available to bioinformaticians on a competitive basis.
The evolution to BRAEMBL required a reconsideration of the missions of these projects into three major goals, one of which was for BRAEMBL to enable optimal exploitation of the tools and data of bioinformatics by Australian scientists1 . To support this goal, it was necessary to identify the range of bioinformatics activities and needs in Australia, and so the BRAEMBL Community Survey was carried out in an attempt to get as much input as possible from all people who might be users of bioinformatics.
The survey ran throughout February 2013, during which time it was advertised as widely as possible through mailing lists, professional networks, social media, conferences, seminars and websites. Responses were collated and analysed at the end of the month, although the survey has remained active since then to allow a continued opportunity for members of the community to provide input. The survey consisted of a mixture of multiple choice and free text responses, all of which were optional.
Demographics
210 responses were received by the initial analysis date, representing the views of a self-reported 750 people. Responses came from the ACT and all Australian states except the Northern Territory, with the majority coming from Victoria, Queensland and NSW (together just over 75% of responses).
Figure 1 – Distribution of survey respondents by state and organisation type
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