The Beyond 1 Million Genomes (B1MG) consortium will establish the support and coordination structure for the
European 1+ Million Genomes initiative (1+MG), which is based upon the commitment of 20 European Member
States and Norway that have signed the Declaration ‘Towards access to at least 1 million sequenced genomes in the
EU by 2022’. Collectively, these countries have committed to establish a cross-border federated network of national
genome collections associated with phenotypic data, consented for advancing health and medicine practices across
Europe. Europe is uniquely placed to take on this challenge and position itself as a global leader in this field.
B1MG will go ‘beyond’ the 1M genome target and ‘beyond’ the 20 signatory countries. The project will collaborate
with an array of international initiatives and consult a range of stakeholders to support the creation of a pan-European
genome-based health data infrastructure, encompassing data quality and exchange standards, access protocols and
legal guidance. Recommendations will be translated to a B1MG maturity level model that provides concrete guidance
on the steps required to implement personalised medicine, a healthcare approach that takes into account a person’s
genetic make-up, at local, regional and national-scale.
Personalised medicine is expected to bring significant socio-economic benefits, including more efficient national
health systems. Faster and more accurate diagnosis, the development of pharmacogenomics and advancement of
preventative medicine will lead to better health, quality of life of patients and increased life expectancy. This will be
captured in a methodology for economic evaluation, forming the basis of future business-cases for implementation in
the health sector.