The Human Genome Project, which is entitled sometimes as the “20th century’s Apollo Project of Life Sciences”, has turned a new page in this field. Since the accomplishment of the Human Genome Project in 2000, impressive progresses have been achieved in genomics science and technology. The genomics research is the basis to answer the pivotal questions in digital medicine and digital life sciences. The science of genomics and its application have a unique interdisciplinary feature, which needs board knowledge in the multiple areas including mathematics, physics, computer science, and life sciences.

 

However, our traditional education system is inadequate to train these kinds of professionals rapidly. Therefore, a novel model for training the multiple-skilled talents is required for the future. In the past several years, BGI has invented a new model to train excellent professionals which is efficient both at up-to-date scientific knowledge and practical skills in life sciences. These talents have played an important role in BGI and published a serial of scientific articles in the world class scientific journals such as Science and Nature. Based on these, we have collaborated with several famous universities such as the innovated undergraduate program with South China University of Technology. Moreover, the internship program has been improved. Many excellent undergraduate students that majored in life science, computer science, mathematics, and physics have been selected to enter this training system each year.

 

After two years of working and improvement, BGI Shenzhen has built a more complete study and research environment. Therefore, we has decided to enlarge the scale of the current innovated undergraduate program nationally. In addition, we will extend this program to the collaborated graduate programs in University of Copenhagen and Chinese University of Hong Kong. We expect to train first class professionals in the fields of genomics, digital medicine, and biology.