Who We Are

A collaborative European network of C. elegans early-stage researchers and young principal investigators (GENiE) is an initiative from Sophie Jarriault, Peter Meister and Richard Poole. It originates from five concurrent observations: (i) many junior C. elegans group leaders have established themselves in Europe during the last 10 years; (ii) in contrast to most US universities/research institutes, there are fewer established worm laboratories in the near vicinity of these junior researchers, offering fewer mentoring, discussions and sharing of equipment possibilities; (iii) there is no support network for young researchers in Europe and (iv) the European community is fragmented, its size is unknown, while no interaction platform and meeting opportunities are available; (v) critical resources are “hidden” – currently there is no registry of where critical infrastructure and equipment are and what their accessibility is.

The principles of this network were presented during the International C. elegans meeting in Los Angeles in June 2013 and were relayed via emails and web postings: From its start, GENIE comprised 80 young EU worm laboratories (all established in the last 10 years). It actually came as a surprise for everybody that such a large number, rather than a handful, of young C. elegans groups existed across Europe, illustrating the need for more visibility.

Who’s a GENiE? This network is open to all young labs using C. elegans as a model organism. It is expected to consolidate teams at critical time in their existence, provide networking and collaboration opportunities, and support the sharing of ideas, expertise or infrastructures. It will in addition provide a centralized contact point for third parties interested in addressing their specific questions with C. elegans, and offer a glimpse of C. elegans research in Europe to the lay public. If you want to join, please register below.

GENiE is funded through COST action BM1408. COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a pan-European intergovernmental framework. Its mission is to enable break-through scientific and technological developments leading to new concepts and products and thereby contribute to strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities. It allows researchers, engineers and scholars to jointly develop their own ideas and take new initiatives across all fields of science and technology, while promoting multi- and interdisciplinary approaches. COST aims at fostering a better integration of less research intensive countries to the knowledge hubs of the European Research Area. The COST Association, an International not-for-profit Association under Belgian Law, integrates all management, governing and administrative functions necessary for the operation of the framework. The COST Association has currently 36 Member Countries.

Possibility and rules for joining the action

Please see the  memorandum of understanding (1135 downloads) for the aims and scientific objectives of this Action, which regroups

new laboratories using C. elegans as a model system in the ERA.

Contact information

Management Committee Chair
Dr. Sophie Jarriault <sophie@igbmc.fr>

Management Committee Vice Chair
Prof. Peter Meister <peter.meister@izb.unibe.ch>

Science officer in charge of the action
Dr. Inga Dadeshidze <Inga.Dadeshidze@cost.eu>

Administratie officer of the action
Gabriela Cristea <Gabriela.Cristea@cost.eu>

Important links

• The COST corporate website.
• The website for action BM1408.
• The Memorandum of Understanding for action BM1408. (791 downloads)
• Rules for participating in a COST action.
• The COST Vademecum.
• COST guidelines for management, assessment and monitoring.