Trace Archive and 1KG DCC.

The raw DNA sequence data from thousands of genomes—the foundational layer beneath every genetic discovery—is at risk of being lost unless funding is secured to keep its archive running. This proposal covers a critical funding gap for the Trace Archive, a repository that stores unprocessed sequencing data before it is analysed. Unlike polished genome assemblies, these raw traces can be reanalysed years later with new tools, combining datasets from different labs and time periods. The rise of next-generation sequencing has vastly increased data output, especially for clinical applications, but the archive itself lacks sustained support. Without it, the 1,000 Genomes Project—a major international effort to catalogue human genetic variation—would lose its raw data backbone. If this succeeds, the archive will remain accessible for future reanalysis, enabling researchers to spot variants missed by older algorithms and to integrate data across studies. This is infrastructure work: invisible to the public, but essential for every genetic test, drug target, and disease association study that relies on comparing patient genomes to a reference. The project is fundamentally about preserving a shared scientific resource, not generating new discoveries itself.