The microbiome is of critical importance to the environment, human biology and medicine. We are just beginning to understand the far-reaching interactions between microorganisms with their environment and these investigations necessarily span multiple disciplines. Microbiomes are central to the goods and services provided by natural and managed ecosystems, and so are increasingly at the forefront of decisions about land usage, climate change, and species conservation. Simultaneously there is an ongoing revolution in clinical sciences where the human microbiome is being implicated in an incredible range of diseases and also in maintaining health. At Imperial College London the expertise in this area is exceptionally broad and spans Faculties and Departments, to constructively address these challenges.

The Microbiome Network brings together researchers from across Imperial faculties, to foster an integrated forum for efficient coordination of internal resources and strategic research efforts, to facilitate access to enabling technologies and to educate the next generation of microbiome scientists and the public. Members of the network are already addressing these objectives independently and via smaller collaborations, whilst the Network is particularly well-positioned to align the field, enhance the research and establish leadership. The Network aims to be inclusive and to facilitate links between researchers across our campuses by organising cross-faculty seminars, establishing technology workshops and consolidating public engagement activities around the study of the microbiome.

Aims

• Building the evidence base
• Fostering interdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange
• Building research capacity
• Sharing data and resources
• Developing and implementing best practices and standards
• Engaging with society
• Training interdisciplinary researchers