Frequently asked questions about our bioinformatics services
Our collaborative approach. To provide answers that matter, we leverage the combination of our client's strengths and molecular domain knowledge with our bioinformatics domain knowledge and biological grounding, propelled by compute environment excellence.
Our flexibility. To make the collaboration as easy as possible, we adjust to your needs and preferences regarding the collaboration format, computing environment, communication channels and more.
Our professionalism. During your project, we not only focus on technical expertise but also on clear and regular communication, proper planning and execution. The combination of our consultants’ hard and soft skills ensures the best possible collaboration and experience for our customers.
Most of the state-of-the-art bioinformatics projects require a combination of knowledge and a skill set that a single bioinformatician can rarely provide straight off. Our team consists of experts in various biological domains and computational approaches, collectively covering all aspects of even the most demanding and complex bioinformatics projects. When you work with us, our complete internal expertise pool is at your disposal.
By working with BISC Global's team of consultants (full-time employees) you are guaranteed to have a long-lasting and stable collaboration, which is often lacking when working with a freelance bioinformatician.
We are passionate about research and we keep up to date with the newest developments in the field. At the same time, we understand that time is critical for our customers. With our internal knowledge sharing and business-minded project management, we make sure to deliver scientifically sound results on time and within the allocated budget.
Visit our case studies to see some of our previous projects. In the domains you will find moreover an overview of all our services and computational approaches.
Very likely, yes. Our team consists of 30+ consultants with various backgrounds and expertise, covering the complete range of "omics", diverse applications, and data analysis tools in bioinformatics, statistics and machine learning / artificial intelligence. Thanks to their scientific background, combined with creativity and strong teamwork, our consultants have a proven track record of successfully tackling projects both within as well as outside of their area of expertise. Contact us to learn how we can help in your unique challenge.
Yes, we can. Depending on your idea and project, we will help you identify which data from the publicly available resources are most suitable, also in terms of quality.
If you will need to access data from biobanks, we will happily support you in preparing your application for getting access, as we have successfully done for our customers before. Once you can access the restricted data, we will also assure that the data security measures are properly set up, whether in your local computing environment or in a cloud infrastructure.
Yes! Proper data quality is an absolute must and we check it thoroughly as part of our offered services.
No, we don't, but we will happily help you prepare your application for access. Our experts in the team understand the application processes and have successfully assisted our customers who needed restricted data. Once your access is granted, we can help you assure that the data security measures are properly set up, whether it is in your local computing environment or in a cloud infrastructure.
*x* - CRISPR / genomics / single-cell / transcriptomics / proteomics / metagenomics / epigenomics / metabolomics / immunomics / other biological data
For many types of data, we have readily available pipelines that we might only need to customize to your specific request. In this way, we save a lot of time and costs. If however, a suitable pipeline does not exist yet, our experts will create it for you.
We can also build an interface to run a pipeline and set it up online in a form of a website that you can access.
Let us know what data you have and we will be happy to find the most optimal solution for you.
We are not tied to particular tools, software or platforms. If solutions that fit your project goals are readily available, we will make sure to use them - there is no need to reinvent the wheel and add unnecessary costs to your project. If no required solutions exist, our experts will custom-build them for you.
It depends on your facilities and preferences. If you don't have your own computing environment, we will make use of our safe cloud environment and computers. In case you prefer us to work within your internal environment and with your internal tools and systems, we will adapt our work accordingly.
We work with our customers in two formats:
Time-based | best option if you are in the exploratory phase of your research or need someone to strengthen your team for a set period of time
We will discuss, plan and agree with you on the amount of time that our specialist(s) will work for you. Since we will not limit our service to a specific project, you will have the flexibility to extend your initial request with additional data and more questions to look into.
Project-based | best option if you want to run a pilot project first before switching to the time-based option or if you have clearly defined project and deliverables, for example, building a pipeline or a software tool.
We will discuss and agree with you on a specific scope of a project. Next, we will create a work plan, set up deliverables and propose a timeline. If additional projects emerge from the initial project, we will arrange with you separate contracts.
Before signing an agreement
Introductory call | Upon connecting with you, we typically set up an introductory call with our business manager to assess on a high level what your needs are and how we can potentially help you. Some exemplary questions we will ask you are: What type of data do you have? Is there a pipeline available? What environment do you conduct your analyses in? Etc.
Technical call | In the next step, after the NDA/CDA is in place, we set up a call with our technical specialists (Consultants) to discuss your objectives and goals, and look into your project in detail. Based on this call, we make a proposal that we talk over with you until we reach a collaborative agreement.
Project
Kick-off call | With the agreement signed, we kick off the collaboration with a call to introduce the team, set up the weekly meetings and present the project approach based on the agreed project proposal.
Frequent communications | As the project is running, we communicate with you at least once a week to update you on the progress. We also maintain continuous communication with you via email and other platforms, depending on your preferences (Slack, Teams etc.). After working with many customers, we know that frequent updates and feedback are key to optimal progress. It’s important to us to be transparent about the current and planned steps, and potential issues that are arising (no black box). We aim to tackle them just as you would with your own work team.
Finishing project
Reports and Presentation | As we will be nearing the end of the project or agreed collaboration time, we will deliver the final reports and conclude with a closing presentation of the analysis, interpretation and deliverables.
Potential follow up | Our projects typically result in more insights, new scientific questions and additional requests. If you will wish to further explore these outcomes, we will set up a follow-up project or perform the work on additional billable days (for smaller requests).
Data management | If the resulting data is stored in our cloud system, we can transfer it to you (the cloud provider’s charge will apply), or, if you request it, we can continue storing it.
Questions after finishing the project | It’s natural that questions arise after the project ends. We will be happy to answer them and most of the time we will be able to do it very fast. However, because of the nature of our business, they have to be considered consulting time. Hence, for example, the time needed to answer multiple or a series of questions can/will be charged. For clarity, simply ask us upfront about it.
To guarantee the agile and efficient progress of your project, we will set up a call with you at least once a week, but most of the time we will be in touch on a daily basis. In this way, we will keep you up to date with the developments and challenges, and implement your feedback instantly to optimize further work. We are also flexible regarding communication channels and will use the one you prefer (Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, e-mail, phone).
Yes! We will have meetings at least once a week and make sure to explain the steps we are taking and the reasoning behind them. In this way, your internal teams will not only be up-to-date on the project but will also be able to learn about the processes, techniques and tools.
Aside from this standard approach of transferring knowledge, we can also actively scoop out time to set up the training materials and conduct the training with your team.
It is important to us that you benefit from the knowledge transfer between our consultants and your team.
Your data and IP-worthy discoveries made by our consultants in the process of a project or agreed collaboration time is yours. Our IP used in the process stays ours. IP rights are unambiguously handled in our MSA and will be shared upon request during partnering discussions.
No, because our consultants work as part of your team, in your business environment and at your location. Therefore, the accreditation must also stay on your side. However, since we have worked for customers who were applying for accreditation, we know how to provide you with a solution that will go through the audit and be successfully accredited.
Yes, we will be happy to create a visual representation of the data. Our customers use such representations frequently to facilitate discussions with their stakeholders.
From the moment of our first contact to the first draft of the collaboration agreement, it will take several days to weeks for a pilot project. This time will include data and/or tool landscaping, extensive project requests, analysing code for reviewing, etc.
The duration of a project itself will strongly depend on its goals and deliverables. Most of our customers engage us for projects that continue for months, up to years. These projects are typically focused on target discovery, target validation, signatures, QTL, pipelining, cloud systems for scalability and security, analytical platforms (for example our OP² tool installed locally), antibody discovery platforms, etc.
Our customers work frequently on tight deadlines, so we are accustomed to moving things forward as quickly and efficiently as possible. For clarity and transparency, we will estimate the required time early on in our discussions and include it in the first draft of the collaboration agreement. You can be sure that we will provide you with all resources you need to achieve your goals on time.
The cost will depend on your project, and the fastest way you can get the estimate is by contacting us. After discussing with you your needs and expectations, we will provide you with a work plan and pricing.
If you are not sure how to go about your project, we can also start small. In fact, many collaborations with our existing customers started from what we call the minimum viable project. Get in touch with us if you'd be interested to learn more.
We will make sure that the number of our team members working on your project is optimized to its size and scope, as well as to the required expertise.
All our consultants are full-time staff members. With this arrangement, we assure commitment, stability and long-term vision for your projects.
Knowledge transfer & tools | During and at the end of the project or agreed collaboration time, we will deliver detailed reports and conclude with a closing presentation of the analysis, interpretations and deliverables. We provide manuals for the running of analysis in a read.me format or even more elaborate if required. These reports, together with our meetings during the project, are the key components that will enable you to smoothly transition towards your independence and to take the project to the next stages. After working with many customers, we know how to assure a proper preparation of your team to continue the project. In addition, we offer (customized) tools that you or your non-data colleagues can easily make use of going forward.
Data management | If the resulting data is stored in our cloud system, we can transfer it to you (the cloud provider’s charge will apply), or, if you request it, we can continue storing it.
Questions after finishing the project | It’s natural that questions arise after the project ends. We will be happy to answer them and most of the time we will be able to do it very fast. However, because of the nature of our business, they have to be considered consulting time. Hence, for example, the time needed to answer multiple or a series of questions can/will be charged. For clarity, simply ask us upfront about it.
Yes, with our Online Pipeline Platform OP² you can benefit from the pay-per-sample model and analyze single samples for:
Note that from a quality perspective, it is advisable to analyse more than one sample. Let us know if you are in doubt about what approach will be correct in your case.
Currently, we have 40+ professionals on our team. Learn more about our team
We are in the process of developing our resources and will appreciate your input! Please share with us via our contact form what type of topics and in what form would you be eager to receive from us (white papers, webinars, etc.)! Meanwhile, please check our previous projects and do not hesitate to contact us if you want to learn more!