Partnerships, Engagement & Growth

Genomic Surveillance Unit

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A team within the Genomic Surveillance Unit, we built and nurtured relationships with partners around the world who sought to implement genomic surveillance solutions. This included community development, training, and communications. We also helped the global MalariaGEN network navigate compliance, funding, public engagement, and community-building challenges. Following a strategic review the Wellcome Sanger Institute decided to disband its Genomic Surveillance Unit in 2026 as part of a broader institutional shift to focus exclusively on fundamental discovery science.

About us

We were passionate about global health equity. Genomics is a powerful tool for fighting infectious disease, but to reach its potential we sought to ensure that the tools and techniques of genomic surveillance were equitably shared. 

Combining expertise in stakeholder engagement, community development, communications, and training, the Partnerships, Engagement & Growth team ensured that partners were empowered to use the data and tools produced in the Genomic Surveillance Unit. Our team centred on the needs of partners and asked how the tools we built could better serve global health. 

Our work

Global partnerships

We aimed to create a network of genomics and public health partners around the world who are empowered to use genomic data in decision-making. 

Many partnerships with the Genomic Surveillance Unit were built on the foundation of relationships established through the MalariaGEN community. We were advocates for the principles of that community and ensure that data were accessible and shareable. The Genomic Surveillance Unit’s Partnerships, Engagement & Growth team supported partners in their journey towards sustainable funding models by advising on or collaborating on funding applications. We also administered various aspects of the MalariaGEN network, including websites, social media accounts, support inboxes, and study set-up.

Communications

We were focused on driving adoption of genomic surveillance in public health, and on establishing the identity and solidifying the reputation of the Genomic Surveillance Unit. We supported members of the Unit as they sought to connect with their audiences online and in-person. That involved creating content for websites, social media, newsletters, and presentations, and making the most of other opportunities as they arose.

When it came to the media, we worked closely with the press office at the Sanger Institute.

Training

Genomic surveillance data is only useful if public health partners have the tools and knowledge required to implement it. To increase capacity for genomic surveillance around the world, we ran training programs that respond to partners’ needs. 

In 2022-23 we welcomed the first two cohorts of participants for a newly-developed training course in data analysis for genomic surveillance of African malaria vectors. This experience was extended to hackathons which took place in-person at the PAMCA annual conference. The training team also facilitated secondments for PAMCA Bioinformatics fellows to travel to the Wellcome Sanger Institute as part of their fellowship.