QCIF Digital Research has won the Not-for-Profit / Community Award at the Queensland iAwards for its work on Taxodactyl, a modular, reproducible Nextflow workflow for the conservative taxonomy assignment of DNA sequences, designed to deliver high-confidence, auditable results in biosecurity contexts. This workflow is part of the project "DNA to Decisions: Automation of DNA Analysis for Australian Biosecurity".
Developed and co-funded in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and Australian BioCommons, the award recognises the outstanding work of QCIF's Bioinformatics and Data & Software teams, including Cameron Hyde, Magdalena Antczak, Daisy Li, Sarah Williams and Claire Herne to address a critical national need.
Consistent, scalable and reliable decision-making to respond to potential threats
Taxodactyl is transforming how biosecurity agencies identify unknown organisms at Australia's borders, replacing manual, time-intensive DNA analysis processes with a fast, standardised and reproducible workflow. By enabling more consistent, scalable and reliable decision-making, the platform helps authorities respond to potential biosecurity threats with greater speed and confidence.
The project demonstrates the power of combining cutting-edge bioinformatics with robust software engineering to solve complex, real-world challenges. Designed with transparency and reproducibility at its core, Taxodactyl provides the high levels of confidence and auditability required for biosecurity applications.
Delivering value beyond biosecurity
Taxodactyl has been developed as an open-source solution, ensuring its benefits extend beyond a single use case. The workflow has the potential to support broader advances across biosecurity, agriculture and environmental research, creating opportunities for collaboration and innovation across the sector.
The Not-for-Profit / Community Award recognises technology innovations that deliver meaningful social impact, highlighting projects that make a tangible difference to communities, industries and society.
This award is a testament to the expertise, dedication and collaborative spirit of the teams and organisations involved.
QCIF Digital Research extends its congratulations and thanks to the many contributors across QCIF Digital Research, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Australian BioCommons whose partnership made this achievement possible.