CASIMIR - Coordination and Sustainability of International Mouse Informatics Resources

Much of the current effort in functional genomics, and our understanding of the biology of human disease, is underpinned by informatics infrastructures served by the scattered collection of relevant databases which exists in Europe. This infrastructure is essential for the support of a European Research Area in mouse functional genomics.

CASIMIR, a coordination action of the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission, will focus on co-ordination and integration of databases set up in support of FP5 and FP6 projects containing experimental data, including sequences, and material resources such as biological collections, relevant to the use of the mouse as a model organism for human disease. Interoperability of disseminated databases potentially provides enormous synergy in the provision, integration and analysis of a wide range of data with concomitant added value for research projects. Having set standards and benchmarks the proposed action will then reach out to co-ordinate other European and International databases and consult with the Community.

The CASIMIR project is funded by the European Commission within its FP6 Programme, under the thematic area "Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health," contract number LSHG-CT-2006-037811