International efforts in human genomics have led to major

break-throughs in our understanding of the genetic basis of

rare and common diseases. Variation between populations

in disease prevalence and distribution of genetic variants

necessitates access to population-based genetic reference

datasets. Human genomics is making a transition from

being largely research to health-care driven in Europe as

many countries launch their precision medicine programs.

Such data and relevant infrastructure, crucial for the stateof-

the art research on complex and rare diseases, is

currently not available for the Flemish/Belgian population.

The aim of the Belgian Genome Biobank (BGB) is the

creation of a genomic resource of the Flemish/Belgian

population, with the objective of supporting and carrying

out genetic and health studies, in order to enable future

research on genetic causes and (risk) factors for human

traits, diseases and their environmental interactions.