National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) David E. Schindel, Executive Secretary National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution 202/ ; fax 202/

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 History of development –Recent origin, rapid growth Mode of operation as an international initiative –Compromise between bottom-up, democratic (slow) and top-down, centrally-managed (nimble) organization –Distributed activity that seeks global participation –Minimal bureaucracy, highly user-driven –Focused on projects with near- and mid-term results Goal of this meeting: Priorities for Next Steps Consortium for the Barcode of Life: Major Points

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) First barcoding publications in 2002 Cold Spring Harbor planning workshops in 2003 Sloan Foundation grant, launch in May 2004 Secretariat opens at Smithsonian, September 2004 First international conference February 2005 Now an international affiliation of: –100+ Members Org’s, 40 countries, 6 continents –Natural history museums, biodiversity organizations –Users: e.g., government agencies –Private sector biotech companies, database providers

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 CBOL Structure Member Organizations Executive Committee Working Groups Scientific Advisory Board Secretariat Office

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 CBOL Member Organizations: Member organizations, 40 countries 30 Member organizations from 20 developing countries

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 CBOL Member Organizations: 2008 Engaging collections, researchers and users Expand membership to 200 organizations Double participation in developing countries Four regional meetings in 2006 to expand awareness, assess needs, start networks in: –Southern and eastern Africa –South America –Southern Asia Working with BioNET, development agencies Second International Barcode Conference, Southeast Asia, February 2007

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Current and Planned Projects Four Working Groups FishBOL and All Birds Initiatives International Network for Barcoding Invasive and Pest Species (INBIPS) Created Steering Committees for: –Tephritid fruit flies (agricultural pests) –Mosquitoes (disease vectors) –African bushmeat (endangered vertebrates)

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 CBOL’s Working Groups Database: Designing/constructing the Barcode Section of GenBank DNA: Protocols for formalin-fixed and old museum specimens; advice to new labs Data Analysis: Beyond phenetic methods; population genetics perspective Plants: Identify gene region(s) for barcoding

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 ABBI and FISH-BOL Global initiatives to create reference library Enable users to adopt barcode ID systems All-species barcode database will: –Strengthen specimen/species data –Improve collections, tissue/DNA resources –Attract users to barcoding for specimen IDs Regional Working Groups Small Steering Committee and CBOL

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Structure of this meeting Friday morning: Information transfer Friday afternoon/Saturday morning: reflection and discussion Saturday afternoon: –Compile and discuss priorities –Identify opportunities, needs for projects –Agree on next steps for networks, Steering Committees, proposal development Post-meeting: CBOL and BioNET will facilitate next steps

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Goals of Regional Meetings Raise awareness Explore potential applications in the region Assess greatest needs and opportunities in the region Identify highest priorities, construct national and regional action plans Start intra-regional networks and intercontinental partnerships

National Science Foundation – 7 February 2006 Possible Follow-On Activities In-country training Research training fellowships Infrastructure improvement: –Lab equipment acquisition –Collections –Information technology Other forms of capacity-building identified during regional meetings