The SIB vision is three-fold, encompassing service, research and education and it is implemented through the SIB mission.

Vision

The SIB helps shape the future of life sciences through excellence in bioinformatics.

Mission

• To provide world-class core bioinformatics resources to the national and international life science research community in key fields such as genomics, proteomics and systems biology.

• To lead and coordinate the field of bioinformatics in Switzerland.

These two components of our mission are different in nature and are worked towards in two different and distinct ways:

• The first and primary SIB mission consists of providing services, i.e. the bioinformatics research infrastructure for life science research. It is carried through in a top-down approach, with objectives set by the SIB Board of Directors and an implementation plan agreed with the concerned groups. Federal funds are almost exclusively used to fulfil this mission.

• Within the second mission the SIB plays a federating role, linking the Swiss bioinformatics community and promoting and coordinating research and education. This activity is mainly performed in a bottom-up way with funding from the universities and other partners and from research grants.