The year of encroaching genomics

The year 2000 has been called “The year of the genome”. Perhaps better would have been to call it “The year of encroaching genomics” (Einarson and Golemis, 2000) intending by this vivid term the torrents of information pouring out of multiorganizational genome sequence projects, large research groups, consortia and industries into the field of active biological research. This is bound to have a strong impact on how research strategies will be designed from now on and it is our expectation that the year 2001 will be the year in which the small academic laboratories now at the forefront of research will have to cope with this new situation if they are to remain at the cutting edge. They will have to show granting institutions how their new research project proposals involve collaboration with large scientific groups and industries such as those mentioned above in order to win financial backing.