Fifteen simple rules for developing bioinformatics capacity at an academic institution

1. Define the exact needs of your institution
2. Identify possible funding resources (public and private)
3. Identify established bioinformatics organizations available to support the determined needs
4. Determine the desired outcome and generate a game plan (academic or service orientated)
5. Train existing students/researchers to analyze data
6. Offer bioinformatics undergraduate electives
7.  Set up a formal bioinformatics MSc or PhD degree program
8.  Create a bioinformatics research group at the faculty level or a national center of excellence
9. Build up a bioinformatics service to serve a connected bioinformatics community
10. Develop and leverage partnerships with established bioinformatics groups
11. Establish and build up computational infrastructure
12. Create communication channels for exposure, feedback, and evaluation
13. Build up a complementary combination of skilled personnel for your scenario
14. Develop a sustainability/progression plan
15.  Embrace local challenges to develop innovative solutions

Ref: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009592