ISBE survey of the existing systems biology community

This survey summarises data obtained from different sources and using different methods in order to generate an extensive picture of the European SB landscape. The Web-search approach provided detailed information for about 500 leading European SB scientists, offering the possibility for their participation in the ISBE questionnaire. This dataset was complemented by a rather unbiased, publication-based dataset, providing broader information on a larger group of SB researchers (over 7000). Responses of 120 researchers to the ISBE questionnaire gave highly curated information. These three data-collection activities were complemented with dissemination (i.e. participation in the ICSB2013 in Copenhagen) and community-building (i.e. European Systems Biology Community website) activities with the aim to establish a two-way communication between ISBE and the SB community.

The work of ISBE WP5 group has generated an up-to-date portrait of the European SB community and has established communication paths in order to facilitate the understanding of the capacities and needs of the community. These tools shall be useful in the definition and future construction of the Infrastructure for Systems Biology in Europe.