2026 CNRS COLLECTIVE CRYSTAL AWARD
Two IGBMC researchers, Guillaume Seith and Jean-Christophe Haessig, are among the twelve recipients of the 2026 CNRS Collective Crystal Award, recognized for their contribution to the IFB Core Cluster.
This distinction celebrates a collective effort and a scientific journey dedicated to advancing bioinformatics.
When modern biology generates massive amounts of data, it requires high-performance computing infrastructures capable of handling them. But above all, it requires teams able to keep them running.
This is the challenge taken up by twelve engineers from CNRS, INRAE, Inserm and Sorbonne Université. Working together remotely, alongside their local responsibilities, they built a unique distributed infrastructure in France: the IFB Core Cluster.
It is based on a simple principle of resource sharing: developments from the Core benefit the regional sites, while developments from the regions feed back into the Core.
This exchange of expertise has led to the availability of more than 700 bioinformatics tools, collectively maintained and designed to meet the needs of users with different levels of expertise.
This collaborative approach is particularly reflected in the UseGalaxy.fr platform, which is used by a large scientific community.
This shared infrastructure has also supported major public health projects, including the monitoring of COVID-19 variants through the EMERGEN platform and the study of antibiotic resistance with ABRomics.
Since then, eight regional sites have adopted the IFB Core Cluster standards, and the initiative now extends as far as Côte d’Ivoire.
Proof that collective intelligence can go further than individual efforts.
■ CNRS Biologie
For more information:https://doc.cluster.france-bioinformatique.fr/