The CLIMB project provides a cloud computing infrastructure for microbial bioinformatics in the UK. Funded by the MRC, CLIMB offers large-scale data storage, computing capacity, and training resources to help UK microbiologists analyze the large amounts of data generated from next-generation sequencing. Currently 199 user groups actively use CLIMB's distributed computing clusters, storage, and customized Galaxy platform. CLIMB aims to meet the growing bioinformatics needs of microbiologists through its on-demand, scalable resources.

1. CLIMB
The Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics
Lisa Marchioretto
Dec.13, 2017

2. CLIMB Winter meeting
“The largest computer system dedicated to
microbiology in the world”.

3. CLIMB
• UK-based cloud project funded by the MRC
• Designated to meet the bioinformatics need of
microbiologists
• Provide large-scale data storage and computing
capacity on demand
• Active and collaborative online community

4. UK national collaborative network
CLIMB

5. Central core
2014

6. Central core
2017

7. Users
2017
Currently used by 199 groups

8. Vision
To meet the bioinformatics needs of microbiologists
• Thanks to NGS researchers can now generate enormous
amount of data in a short time
• Many academics don’t have access to the
resources that they need to perform
bioinformatics analysis
CLIMB will provide these resources

9. What’s up in CLIMB?

10. Training
• Training microbiologist will improve
the UK microbial bioinformatics
community
• Regular practical workshops,
seminars, training images on virtual
machines

11. Usage
CLIMB provide large-scale data
storage and computing capacity
on demand
199 active user groups
288 groups used CLIMB

12. Equivalent cost of cloud computing service
• Amazon Web Services = $ 2,821,925.85
• MS Azure = $ 2,591,431.67

13. Active community forum https://discourse.climb.ac.uk

14. Award 2017
HPCwire Readers’ Choice
• Best use of HPC in Life Science
• Best HPC Collaboration (Academia
/ Government / Industry)

15. Distributed computing infrastructure
• Agile and scalable system
• 4 clusters (mix of high-memory/low CPU and low-memory/high CPU
servers)
• Storage
• Network capacity (10 gigabit/second connectivity)
• Web-based instance of the Galaxy Platform customized for microbial
research
• Free access to a database of workflow, pipelines, scripts, VM images
• Data archive

16. Beneficiaries
• Laboratory-based microbiologists to explore and integrate the biology of
pathogens and model-organisms
• Bioinformaticians, epidemiologists, and population geneticists (disease
prevention, management of infection)
• Those interested in developing new drugs, vaccines or diagnostic tests for
microbial pathogens (industrial and public health)
• Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology