The Centre d’Etude du Polymorphism Humain (CEPH) was established in 1984 by Jean Dausset to promote international collaborative research in human genetics. During the subsequent 25 years, the model of international collaboration pioneered by the CEPH has been a major driver in the use of genomic technologies to successfully map and sequence the human genome. New and ambitious international research projects have emerged to harness these advances for applications in medicine and in other fields. The 25th anniversary symposium on "Genomics and Medicine" will provide perspectives on recent developments in this area as seen by some of the leading scientists participating in the research.