Benefits and goals of participation in the RMG network

Benefits of participation would be (but not be limited to): 

• Enhanced communication and collaboration between research groups
• Improved ability to attract funding with international, integrated studies
• Streamline future rumen microbial genomics research i.e. prevention of duplication
• Raising of public awareness of present and future research activities
• Accelerated access to protocols, cultures, primer sets, sequence information, analysis tools etc. and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and technologies
• Training - exchange of students, technicians, staff, particularly with developing countries
• Improved scientific robustness of current research, enhanced stature and credibility of rumen microbiology research
• Provide a worldwide perspective of rumen microbial genomics

The RMG Network will be a science network. Its efforts are focused on generating a shared comprehensive data resource that will enable investigators to characterise the relationship between the composition of the rumen microbiome (or of parts of the rumen microbiome) and the efficient bioconversion of fibrous feedstuffs, leading to a more environmentally acceptable production of nutritious foods in all parts of the world.

What the Network will do

• Foster collaborations; facilitate the many and diverse groups underpinning the Network to meet independently
• Share rumen microbial cultures
• Encourage and co-ordinate collaborations that aim to provide reference genome sequence data and make the data freely available to members
• Sequence reference genomes
• Establish a central data repository for the rumen microbiome
• Pan-genome analyses
• Share metagenomic/metatranscriptomic data obtained from the rumen microbiome
• Facilitate collaborative funding applications
• Publish and/or disseminate findings from collaborative projects
• Enhance stature and credibility of rumen microbiology research
• Outline provisions for training opportunities across RMG Network and funding opportunities for developing countries to attend satellite RMG Network meetings
• Organise annual meetings, linked with major gut microbiology conferences, to map out collaborative research and discuss progress in the field of rumen microbial genomics
• Facilitate the exchange of staff and knowledge/technologies
• Establish standardised guidelines/protocols for data acquisition, analysis and storage
• Develop a web portal to display and promote the research activities of its members