Human Cell Atlas - Executive Office (UK)

Administrative Support

The HCA Executive Office, in the UK, is based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and works with regional offices in the USA (at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard) and Japan (at the RIKEN Institute) to support the global Human Cell Atlas (HCA) collaborative consortium.  

About

The Human Cell Atlas Executive Office, in the UK  

The HCA Executive Office, in the UK, is based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and works with regional offices in the USA (at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard) and Japan (at the RIKEN Institute) to support the global Human Cell Atlas (HCA) collaborative consortium.

Aiming to create comprehensive reference maps of all human cells as a basis for both understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease, the HCA will impact every aspect of biology and medicine, propelling translational discoveries and applications and ultimately leading to a new era of precision medicine. 

Providing the administrative and organisational framework for more than 2,000 HCA members worldwide, the HCA Executive Office team is enabling the creation of this openly available, representative Atlas of human cells, which will benefit people around the globe.

Our Work

The HCA Executive Office, supports the Human Cell Atlas consortium to make its vision a reality. With team members in the UK, US, Japan and Singapore, the HCA Executive Office provides organisational and administrative support for the HCA, including coordination across funders and funded HCA consortia, and communicating goals and progress to members, stakeholders and the public. 

Working with the HCA Organising Committee, researchers, funders and other stakeholders, the HCA Executive Office helps identify and prioritise issues and projects of strategic importance to HCA. The team creates processes that foster and facilitate the journey towards a Human Cell Atlas.

The Executive Office facilitates the vital preparation of the HCA Roadmap to create a unified Atlas of the whole human body. As part of this, it coordinates the activities of the 18 current Biological Networks on individual organs and systems, tracking progress towards Cell Atlas Roadmaps of these systems. The team also liaise with allied consortia to maximise the benefit of data generated.

Supporting HCA leaders, the HCA Executive Office acts as a conduit for decision-making and a repository for information. Coordinating meetings with the HCA Organising Committee, other Committees, Working Groups, funders and consortia, we enable progress and policy to be discussed and further developed. The resulting technical, ethical and equity guidelines help HCA members collaborate and share data, essential for the formation of a unified Atlas.

We develop and maintain the HCA website, ensuring that information is available for our global members and for interested members of the public. The HCA Executive Office maintains the registry of HCA members, creates registries for funding calls and helps connect researchers to enable new collaborative projects. The HCA is committed to open data, equity and equality, and the Executive Office facilitates data sharing and regulatory compliance.

Working with HCA members and their institutional Communications Teams around the world, the Executive Office develops communications strategies to help showcase the amazing community and research of the HCA. Communications activities include regular Newsletters and emails to keep HCA members informed, and articles, press releases and social media to share HCA achievements with other stakeholders and the public. We also support HCA public engagement projects, helping to enthuse and engage researchers and the public alike with the importance and innovation of the project.

Scientific meetings are vital to bring the HCA community together, share ideas, progress and create new collaborative opportunities worldwide. The HCA Executive Office develops and delivers General Meetings, Regional Meetings, Biological Network Seminars, Workshops, and other events around the world.

Besides scientific communication, the meetings also aim to help increase the global participation in the HCA, and ensure that the Human Cell Atlas has truly global participation and benefit.