3rd International Colloquium on Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training (iCOBLET2025)
12 – 13 December 2025 | Manipal School of life Sciences, MAHE | Manipal, India
Manipal School of Life Sciences (MSLS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) successfully hosted the 3rd International Colloquium on Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training (iCOBLET 2025) from 12 to 13 December 2025 in Manipal, India. The event marked a significant milestone as the first edition of iCOBLET to be hosted in India, bringing together educators, researchers, industry professionals, and learners to deliberate on innovations in bioinformatics education. The two-day colloquium featured scientific sessions, poster presentations, hands-on workshops, expert panel deliberations, and an Eduthon (a special feature of iCOBLET), fostering an interactive platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Day 1 Highlights:
The inaugural session was held in the presence of Dr P. Giridhar Kini (Registrar, MAHE), Dr Satish Rao (Director, MSLS), Dr Jithesh Puthen Veettil (GOBLET ExCo representative), Dr Bobby Paul, Mr Sandeep Mallya, Dr Sasirekha Palaniswamy (GOBLET ExCo representative), and Prashanth N. Suravajhala (GOBLET ExCo representative). This was followed by a GOBLET address delivered by Dr Jithesh Puthen Veettil. The opening keynote lecture, titled “Taking Bioinformatics Forward”, was delivered by Dr Prashanth N. Suravajhala.
The session during the day focused on responsible and effective research practice. A talk on ethics in research publication by Dr Shama Prasada (Professor, MSLS, Manipal) was followed by a talk on “Transforming Ideas into Research-Driven Solutions” by Dr Prashanta Hebbar (Director, Meta Biosciences). These themes continued in an expert panel discussion on Grand Challenges of Bioinformatics Education and Training —“Ethics in Publications: Best Practices and Grand Challenges” —where Dr Scott Edmunds (Hong Kong) and Dr Manjunath B Joshi (MSLS, MAHE) joined the session, featuring panellists from both national and international institutions.
A dedicated poster presentation session was held on Day 1, enabling participants to present their work and engage in direct discussions with peers and mentors.
The day also included a hands-on workshop on Clinical Genomics and Bioinformatics Workflow: Sequencing to Insight & Computational Drug Discovery Pipeline by Dr Sasirekha Palaniswamy and Dr Abhijith Kayal (Schrödinger).
Day 2 Highlights:
The day featured flash talks by young researchers and Eduthon team presentations, showcasing student-driven ideas for the development of bioinformatics learning.
The programme continued with a series of invited talks. Dr Shashidhar Venkatesh Murthy (Professor, James Cook University, Australia) delivered a lecture titled “Triad of Tech Tips for Effective Bioinformatics Education,” in which he shared pedagogical strategies and technological insights aimed at strengthening bioinformatics teaching and learning practices.
This was followed by a talk titled “From Referral to Results: Developing an Integrated Informatics Ecosystem for Translational Medicine in Academic Hospitals”, presented by Dr Sasirekha Palaniswamy; subsequently, a scientific session by Dr Shyama Prasad Rao (NITTE University) on the topic “Bioinformatics: The hype and reality”.
This was followed by a talk titled “From Referral to Results: Developing an Integrated Informatics Ecosystem for Translational Medicine in Academic Hospitals”, presented by Dr Sasirekha Palaniswamy; subsequently, a scientific session by Dr Shyama Prasad Rao (NITTE University) on the topic “Bioinformatics: The hype and reality”.
The programme concluded with an awards ceremony, during which a total of eight awards were presented to student participants, followed by the closing ceremony that formally marked the conclusion of the event and summarised the key discussions and outcomes of the meeting.
Thank you to all speakers, participants, organisers, and partners who made iCOBLET 2025 such a successful and inspiring event. We look forward to continuing the conversation and building the future of bioinformatics education together.
GOBLET ExCo
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