Bioinformatics training "with a little help from my friends"

This poster was presented at eResearch Australasia 2022.

Abstract

The National Bioinformatics Training Cooperative brings Australian bioinformatics training providers together to deliver national training in a mutually beneficial way. What we love about this model is that it saves time and effort, fosters networks and connections between bioinformatics training providers and it is much more fun to work on training together! 

First convened by the Australian BioCommons in 2021, the cooperative members collaborate to provide bioinformatics training that complements and extends local offerings by pooling expertise, training materials, resources, and trainers. We’ve developed 10 workshops through this initiative and have improved the diversity of specialist topics available to learners.

The cooperative model benefits cooperative members and their staff who deliver the training by i) increasing the national reputation of each participating organisation through greater exposure and reach ii) providing new opportunities for professional development iii) encouraging and enabling sharing and implementation of training best practices.

Here we describe how the cooperative model works in practice, explore examples of  advantages this approach offers and outline ideas for the future of the cooperative.