BGI Group Chairman and Co-founder Wang Jian recently led a delegation to participate in the landmark 30th Anniversary Meeting of the Bermuda Principles (“BP30”) and share the company’s latest technological breakthroughs and advocate for the spirit of open science and international cooperation.
The 30th Anniversary Meeting of the Bermuda Principles, held at the Hamilton Princess in Bermuda from February 25 to 28, 2026.
The Bermuda Principles, established in 1996 during an international strategy meeting on human genome sequencing, created standards that stated that all data from the Human Genome Project (HGP) should be made publicly available within 24 hours. This groundbreaking decision transformed life sciences research into a model of global collaboration and has been carried forward as a general norm for open science in genomics.
The first draft of the Bermuda Principles: Sir John Sulston’s original draft, written on a whiteboard in February 1996. (Courtesy of Richard Myers / The Bermuda Principles Foundation)
At this year's anniversary meeting, themed "Future-Proofing Global Collaboration in Genomics", global experts — including Professor Robert Waterston, Dr. Michael Morgan, and Prof. Ewan Birney — discussed a range of topics including the balance between data privacy and sovereignty, biodiversity conservation, global equity in genomics, intellectual property, and open collaboration, paving the way for the development of genomics technology for the next 30 years.
During the event, Wang Jian and BGI Group Chief Researcher Xu Xun interacted with international leaders on a new "Bermuda Principles 2.0" framework. Discussions focused on building genomics capacity in underdeveloped regions, international coordination of national genome projects, and the integration of AI with next-generation sequencing.
Wang Jian (first from left in the upper picture), Xu Xun (second from right in the lower picture), and Liu Weibin (second from right in the lower picture) interacted with international science leaders during the event.
Liu Weibin, Vice President of BGI Group and co-initiator of the Human Genome Project II (HGP2) delivered a keynote speech outlining the strategic vision for the project. HGP2 aims to “sequence at least 1% of the global population to drive a transformation in precision public health", Liu said. The goal is to integrate genomics into healthcare systems globally, ensuring that human genomic information remains a shared global public resource to benefit the health of everyone.
Liu Weibin delivered a keynote speech outlining the strategic vision for the Human Genome Project II (HGP2).
During BP30, BGI Group showcased its latest technology, including its nanopore sequencing and the ultra-high-throughput sequencing platform. The institute also highlighted its benchmark achievements in core technology, participation in major international projects, the construction of open science platforms, large-scale clinical applications, and global biodiversity conservation. These technologies and achievements support BGI's mission to drive down the cost of sequencing and apply genomic findings to reproductive health, cancer treatment, and infectious disease control.
In line with its commitment to open science, BGI Group announced a groundbreaking initiative in 2025: the release of Genos, the world’s first 10-billion-parameter open-source Human-Centric genomic foundation model. This innovation addresses the challenges and opportunities of the AI and big data era, driving transformative advancements in clinical disease diagnosis, personal genome interpretation, and cutting-edge scientific research.
Combined with its integrated multi-omics research platform and core technologies such as Genos, BGI is advancing automation in scientific discovery and clinical diagnostics. These efforts provide critical support for global initiatives like the HGP2.
Since its participation in the original HGP, BGI has followed the Bermuda Principles and led or participated in numerous major international projects to support the breakthroughs in genomics technology, including the International HapMap Project, the 1000 Genomes Project, and the Earth BioGenome Project.
These international science projects are firmly supported by BGI Group’s continuous technological breakthroughs, including in core fields such as genomics, cellomics, spatiotemporal omics, and proteomics. This multi-omics strategic layout supports breakthroughs in global life sciences research and drives industrial innovation and development.
Group photo of BGI Group executives with science leaders at BP30.
The BP30 meeting concluded with the initial draft of the "Bermuda Principles 2.0 Action Framework". This includes maintaining the positioning of genomic data as a global public good, promoting the synergy between open sharing and security protection, strengthening genomics capacity building in underdeveloped regions, and deepening international coordination among national genome projects. This marks the beginning of a brand-new chapter for global genomics open cooperation.
Participating in the BP 30 meeting represents the continuation of BGI Group's commitment to the spirit of global open science and its mission of “Omics for All”. Guided by the “Bermuda Principles 2.0 Action Framework”, BGI will work with global partners to promote the open, fair, and secure sharing of genomic data, deepen innovative collaboration in the field of life sciences, and continue to contribute to the high-quality development of global precision medicine and public health.