Dimitris Koureas, Pedro Beja, Mark Blaxter, Astrid Bohne, Sarah Bourlat, Torbjørn Ekrem, Brent C. Emerson, Katharina F. Heil, José Melo‐Ferreira, Ben W. Price, Rutger Vos, Wouter Addink, Tyler Alioto, Filippos A. Aravanopoulos, Jonas J. Astrin, Jean-Marc Aury, Ian Barnes, Claudia Bruschini, Elena Buzan, Guy Cochrane, Tamás Cserkész, Thanos Dailianis, Elza Duijm, Glenn Dunshea, Rosa Fernández, Sónia Ferreira, Giulio Formenti, Sara Fratini, Konstantinos Gkagkavouzis, Carole Goble, Michał Grabowski, Bjorn Grüning, Ivo Gut, Marta Gut, Peter W. Harrison, Axel Hausmann, Jacob Höglund, Laura Iacolina, Alessio Iannucci, K S Jakobsen, Urmas Kõljalg, Henrik Lantz, Harris Lewin, Jan Niklas Macher, Tereza Manousaki, Fergal Martin, Ximo Mengual, P. d’ Oliveira, Rebekah A. Oomen, Michael J. Raupach, Ana Farrar Riesgo, Hugues Roest Crollius, Anna Somogyi, Torsten Struck, Hannes Svardal, Ave Tooming-Klunderud, Alexandros Triantafyllidis, Olga Vinnere Pettersson, Maximilian Wagner, Patrick Wincker, N. Yan, Jose Alonso, Ana Casino, Claúdio Ciofi, Gabriela Dankova, Peter Hollingsworth, Mara Lawniczak, Camila J. Mazzoni, Robert Waterhouse
The Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) Project has the overarching aim of accelerating the use of genomic science to enhance understanding of biodiversity, monitor biodiversity change, and guide interventions to address its decline. The BGE Project comprises activities focused on DNA Barcoding (Barcoding Stream) and Reference Genome Generation (Genomes Stream) for eukaryotic species across Europe, bringing together two European networks: the International Barcode of Life in Europe (iBOL Europe) and the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA). This publication is an abridged version of the successful grant proposal developed jointly by iBOL Europe and ERGA in response to the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-01. Two key strands of genomic science form the basis of this proposal: DNA barcoding - sequencing short, standardised genomic regions to tell the world’s species apart, transforming the speed of completion of the inventory of life on Earth and providing the foundations of a global bio-surveillance system for biodiversity; and genome sequencing - generating high-quality complete reference genomes for all species on Earth, transforming understanding of biodiversity at the genetic level, and delivering fundamental knowledge of how biological systems function and how species respond and adapt to environmental change. The BGE Project objectives are focused on (i) Capacity: To establish functioning biodiversity genomics networks at the European level to connect and grow community capacity to use genomic tools to tackle the biodiversity crisis; (ii) Production: To establish and implement large-scale biodiversity genomic data generation pipelines for Europe to accelerate the production and accessibility of genomic data for biodiversity characterisation, conservation, and biomonitoring; and (iii) Application: To apply genomic tools to enhance understanding of pan-European biodiversity and biodiversity declines to improve the efficacy of management interventions and biomonitoring programmes.