PILOT PROJECT - MOTIVATION  

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Amid our sixth mass extinction the utility of genomics for cataloging biodiversity and informing conservation strategies is essential.

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ERGA is a fast growing consortium with a member base of over 600 researchers across 48 countries (including all 27 EU member states and EU Associated Countries, as well as representatives of other countries within the European bioregion). 

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To demonstrate the feasibility of continent-wide collaboration, ERGA has launched a Pilot Project; established, funded, and driven entirely by its members.

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The project required building a pan-European genomics infrastructure that could support the inclusion and equal participation of each European country, at each step of the genome establishment pipeline, from sample collection to publication.

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ERGA is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion through synergistic systems that exemplify the effectiveness and efficiency of  generating reference grade genomes that can support biological discovery for the broader scientific community, in a collaborative manner.

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The world of reference genome assembly moves rapidly.  In accordance with this, ERGA and our Pilot Project Teams have made significant strides towards generating high-quality reference genomes, with over 98 species (and counting!) currently at various stages of this process.