Establishing a fully independent mirror of the UCSC Genome Browser in Germany (2026)

• Applicant: Dr. Björn Grüning
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 581873013

The UCSC Genome Browser is an essential global infrastructure for human genetics and genomics, providing integrated access to over 20,000 annotation tracks and serving more than 170,000 researchers monthly, including 30% from Europe and 3-4% from Germany. Despite its critical role, the Browser is funded solely by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), whose recent and projected budget cuts threaten the long-term availability of this resource for European users. A European mirror, hosted in Germany, would enhance accessibility and performance while ensuring continuity should U.S. support cease. This proposal seeks funding for hardware and a minimal local staff to establish an independent, fully operational mirror site embedded within Germany’s bioinformatics infrastructure. The initiative will secure Europe’s access to a foundational genomics tool, enable integration of regional datasets, and mirror successful sustainability models such as Galaxy EU and UniProt. This project will lay the foundation for a future EU Horizon proposal for longer-term funding.

• DFG Programme: Research data and software (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)