Welcome to DIPLOMICS
Connecting Researchers with World Class Omics Facilities
DIPLOMICS (Distributed Platform in Omics) is a project funded by South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology under its South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) programme. The Centre for Proteomics and Genomics Research, a non-profit service laboratory, is the host for DIPLOMICS. We aim to support and strengthen Omics capacity in South Africa by coalescing a network of Omics practitioners, supporting research infrastructure resources, and by improving the visibility of our partner labs
ABOUT US
DIPLOMICS is a resource for the national and international Omics community. We are a network of academic, commercial and industrial labs in South Africa.
Our ambition is to create a world class Omics infrastructure that is internationally competitive.
We are an inclusive organisation that is guided by an advisory panel, informed by working groups of experts and managed by a professional team.
We have working groups in Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. Working group members are experts in their domains and are vital for identifying infrastructure initiatives, developing training programs and improving service delivery.
The management team is responsible for the day to day operations of the DIPLOMICS program. They are responsible for implementing project initiatives and reporting on project deliverables and finances.
Representatives from the South African funders and policy makers (DST, TIA, NRF, CSIR, ARC and SAMRC) provide strategic guidance and help to ensure coordination and shared vision amongst the primary NSI stakeholders
Working groups
At the core of the DIPLOMICS network are the three working groups representing the sub-domains of genomics, proteomics & metabolomics, and bioinformatics.
The structure of the working groups includes senior, experienced scientists from academia, science councils and private enterprises, all of whom volunteer their time. They work closely with DIPLOMICS management that includes paid coordinators who are also domain experts.
As experts in their fields, the working group members provide vital information on infrastructure gaps and their potential solutions. Working closely with DIPLOMICS management as well as the vendor community, we collectively develop interventions such as; buying and deploying instruments, training programs for technicians, service and maintenance contracts and showcasing new technologies.
The working groups provide information on activities (e.g., current market demands), trends and future opportunities in Omics. The working groups also provide information on the challenges they face in competing in a global Omics market place, such as pricing, perception of quality and turnaround time.
Management
Diplomics is part of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) initiative, which was launced by the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2016.
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The Diplomics governance structure is organised as follows: (This diagram should be redone and this should direct to the 'Diplomics background' page)
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Advisory Committee
The Diplomics advisory committee is comprised
of members of the following organisations:
DST
MRC
TIA
NRF
ARC
CSIR
These members provide collective governance for the Diplomics initiative,
which is embedded at the CPGR in the Western Cape.
