CAMDA runs in collaboration with ISMB/ECCB. CAMDA has become a full conference track at ISMB, representing one of its Communities of Special Interests (COSIs). This gives you wide exposure and further opportunities for interaction with colleagues without separate registration fees. You just register for a 2- or 4-day ticket at ISMB, specifying CAMDA as your interest.

CAMDA focuses on one of the grand challenges of our time, the intelligent exploitation of Big Data in the life sciences. In the post genomic era, an effective scientific interpretation of large datasets is key to new medical and biological insights from novel high throughput assays and the increasing size of biomedical studies. CAMDA puts a spotlight on the successful analysis and integration of the massive data sets now prevalent in the life sciences.

This year, the scientific committee of CAMDA has set three data analysis contest challenges:

• The MetaSUB Inter-City Challenge presents the urban microbiomes of three cities. Compare organism fingerprints from public places across cities. Investigate organism sequences and biodiversity vs location.
• The Neuroblastoma Data Integration Challenge presents clinical data, RNA-seq and Agilent gene expression, and CNV from aCGH. Improve the prediction of clinical outcome, survival time, or disease mechanisms vs the original expression-only study by the FDA SEQC.
• The Oxford Nanopore ‘Wiggle Space’ Challenge presents raw data from one of the latest next-next-generation sequencing platforms. Calibrate reads vs matched results from established platforms. Test your interpretation of metagenomics analyses on a 'mystery' sample of patient microbiota.

Leading scientists present their best methods and analyses in talks, complemented by poster sessions. Papers based on the submitted extended abstracts are published in the open access, fully indexed conference proceedings at Biology Direct. Related method papers can enter the ISMB proceedings track of the Bioinformatics journal.

All delegates vote for the best contributed analysis. The top three presenters win a free one-year subscription to F1000Prime (worth $250) and a free submission to F1000Research (worth $1000). The first prize in addition is awarded the prestigious CAMDA trophy.

We cordially invite you to attend and contribute to CAMDA, and look forward to seeing you in Prague!