Genome of Europe (GoE) is the largest genomics project in the European Union, addressing the growing demand for genetic data in research and medicine. Until now, Europe has lacked a reference dataset of whole-genome sequences (WGS).

The goal of GoE is to create a unique database containing at least 100,000 genomes, representative of European citizens. In addition to genome sequencing, the main tasks include building a community of experts, dealing with ethical and data security issues, integrating with genomic data infrastructures, and assessing the project’s impact and usability.

The GoE project is the first large-scale European genomic initiative. It has received financial support of EUR 45 million, of which EUR 20 million comes from the European Commission. The project will be carried out over the next 42 months with the participation of 49 partners from 27 European countries, working together to create a pan-European reference genome database. This database will be developed through the integration of existing datasets with new ones obtained by sequencing diverse populations across Europe—all with the aim of advancing personalized healthcare in the future.

The project’s kick-off meeting took place on October 30–31 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The project coordinator is Prof. André Uitterlinden from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam. The research at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry PAS is led by Luiza Handschuh, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof. The second Polish institution involved in the project is the Biomedical Sciences – Biobank Łódź at the University of Łódź.