New framework for short- and long-read sequencing shows how public labs now source advanced genomic analysis as a service for research and care.
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Université catholique de Louvain has launched a framework for High-Throughput Sequencing Services, covering short- and long-read technologies and methylation profiling. The move underlines how complex DNA analysis is increasingly bought in as a service across Europe’s public research and healthcare systems.
Published on 19th January 2026, the contract notice sets out a framework agreement for high-throughput sequencing services rather than the purchase of instruments. The agreement includes sequencing of short fragments using an Illumina sequencer and very long fragments using a PacBio sequencer, along with decoding of methylation profiles.
By specifying both short-fragment and very long-fragment sequencing, Université catholique de Louvain is seeking access to different types of genomic information through a single commercial arrangement. Short-fragment runs on Illumina platforms typically support high-throughput projects, while long-fragment PacBio runs can capture much larger stretches of genetic material in one read.
The inclusion of methylation profile decoding takes the framework beyond basic sequence data. It signals demand for services that capture chemical modifications to genetic material, which are increasingly relevant for understanding how genes are controlled in research settings and, in some cases, in clinical investigations.
Because the framework is service-based, the university can tap into external capacity and expertise without owning and maintaining all of the underlying equipment. This mirrors a wider trend in public-sector genomics, where institutions mix in-house platforms with external providers to match fluctuating workloads and specialised techniques.
The emphasis on both fragment length and methylation analysis places the Louvain framework in the same territory as several recent European procurements. In September 2025, INRAE launched a consultation for Genomic Sequencing Services, seeking high-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing to analyse genomes, methylation and gene expression, with secure delivery of sequencing data. That notice shows how epigenetic and transcriptomic layers are now often bundled with traditional genome sequencing in a single service package.
Long-read capability is also moving towards the mainstream in hospital laboratories. In October 2025, the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes published a notice for the Acquisition of Long-Read Sequencer for molecular genetics, including maintenance and consumables. And in December 2025, the Fundación Pública Galega de Medicina Xenómica went to market for Equipment for Long Read Sequencing, combining a long-read sequencer with a capillary electrophoresis system.
On the analytical side, hospitals are looking for integrated solutions that tie sequencing more tightly to clinical decision-making. The CHU de Lille’s contract notice for a Genomic Profiling Solution, published in December 2025, seeks a complete package for profiling solid tumours that integrates advanced next-generation sequencing technologies with computational analysis tools.
The Louvain framework sits alongside these developments, but with a different emphasis: instead of acquiring machines, the university is contracting for access to high-end platforms and specialist analysis as needed, including methylation decoding, through a dedicated services framework.
Public institutions are turning to framework agreements to organise this kind of external sequencing support. In September 2025, the University of Edinburgh issued a prior information notice for a Sequencing and Genotyping Framework covering a variety of services “to supplement its internal resources”. That language captures a common approach: maintaining core capability in-house, but using frameworks to stretch capacity and access specialised techniques.
Vilniaus universitetas (PV) followed a similar path in August 2025 with a procurement titled High-Performance Sequencing Services, explicitly seeking services rather than equipment. At the same time, mixed arrangements that pair consumables with analytical support are emerging. The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Clermont Ferrand’s notice on NGS Sequencing Reagents and Services, published in August 2025, combines reagents supply with bioinformatics services for a wide range of genetic analyses.
Universities that already have strong laboratory infrastructures are also buying sequencing as a service where it makes sense. The Université de Tours set out a need for oligonucleotide provision alongside synthesis and sequencing services for its BBV laboratory in a September 2025 notice for Oligonucleotide Supply and Services. The Université de Liège’s framework for the Supply of Molecular Biology Products, published in August 2025, likewise organises a steady flow of reagents, extraction kits and consumables across multiple sites.
On the clinical side, service procurements are becoming more explicit about their role in patient care. Meditsinski universitet - Plovdiv set this out directly in its December 2025 notice for Sequencing Services Procurement, seeking next-generation sequencing of complete exomes and targeted genomic and tumour DNA “to aid in cancer diagnosis and treatment”. The Louvain framework, while not tied in the notice text to a specific disease area, offers similar building blocks for translational research and, potentially, clinical collaboration.
These examples, together with Université catholique de Louvain’s new agreement, show public buyers using frameworks to secure predictable access to complex sequencing and analysis, while leaving room to evolve their internal platforms and priorities over time.
The rise of service frameworks does not mean public bodies are stepping away from owning sequencing hardware. Many of the recent notices focus squarely on equipment and the consumables needed to run it.
Several hospitals are upgrading to high-throughput and long-read platforms. Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale) AöR issued a contract notice in September 2025 for a High-Throughput Sequencer for its Institute of Pathology, with the aim of enabling genomic analysis of DNA and RNA and enhancing diagnostics and therapy for oncological diseases. In Portugal, the Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António, E. P. E. published a notice in November 2025 for Equipment for Sequencing Services, seeking high-throughput and medium-throughput instruments for massive parallel sequencing to support its molecular biology and genetics services.
Health authorities at regional level are building out their genomic portfolios in a similar way. The Dirección General de Planificación Económica set out plans in August 2025 for the Acquisition of Genomic Equipment, including a real-time PCR system, digital PCR system, automatic electrophoresis equipment and an NGS sequencer, to expand the genomic offering of the Extremadura Health Service.
Research institutes and universities are also continuing to invest in their own platforms. The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale (IZSAM) published a December 2025 notice for the Supply of Sequencing Instrument for its Molecular Biology and Omic Technologies Department. In Poland, the UNIWERSYTET WARMIŃSKO-MAZURSKI W OLSZTYNIE set out the High-Throughput DNA Sequencer Delivery for its Department of Entomology, Phytopathology, and Molecular Diagnostics in an October 2025 notice.
Other buyers focus on ensuring a steady flow of chemistry and consumables to feed existing platforms. Ústav experimentální botaniky AV ČR, v. v. i. launched a contract in August 2025 for Sequencing Chemistry Supply for Illumina-based next-generation sequencing, while ASSISTANCE PUBLIQUE HÔPITAUX DE MARSEILLE published a framework in November 2025 for the Supply of Biology Reagents across multiple lots.
Against this backdrop, Université catholique de Louvain’s decision to concentrate on services in its new framework looks less like a departure and more like one part of a mixed model, in which public institutions both own key equipment and buy in additional capacity and capabilities.
The Louvain framework for high-throughput short- and long-read sequencing, coupled with methylation profile decoding, could reshape how the university and its partners plan research projects that rely on complex genomic data. It arrives at a time when peers across Europe are locking in similar capabilities, whether through service frameworks, hardware investments, or a blend of both.
What comes next will depend on how buyers balance these different approaches. Notices such as INRAE’s demand for secure delivery of sequencing data and CHU de Lille’s search for integrated genomic profiling solutions suggest that data handling and interpretation are becoming as important in procurement as the sequencing runs themselves. The Université catholique de Louvain framework will be one to watch for how it translates these technological possibilities into day-to-day research and, potentially, collaborations with clinical and public health partners.
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