GBIF named a Global Core Biodata Resource

The Global Biodata Coalition, which represents a consortium of major public and charitable funders, has identified GBIF as critical infrastructure for biological and biomedical research

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Forest of Andasibe National Park, Madagascar. Photo by Gregoire Dubois via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The Global Biodata Coalition (GBC) has named GBIF to its inaugural list of Global Core Biodata Resources (GCBRs), highlighting its fundamental importance to research across the life sciences.

The first 37 GBCRs represent critical components for ensuring the reproducibility and integrity of life sciences research, as identified through a rigorous two-stage selection process involving multiple quantitative and qualitative indicators. Among the other repositories and knowledgebases on the list, which comprise a wide range of information on genomics and model organisms, GBIF stands alone as the sole resource focused on wild biodiversity.

Built on the prior efforts of ELIXIR to define Core Data Resources supported within Europe, Global Biodata Core Resources operate on well-established life-cycle management processes, and their dependencies on related information is well-understood. Individually and collectively, GBCRs:

  • provide free and open access to their data
  • support extensive use, both in the number and distribution of users
  • are mature and comprehensive
  • have authoritative standing in their field
  • possess high scientific quality
  • deliver professional standards of service

“The announcement of the list will enable funders and biodata resources to come together to co-develop sustainability models that meet their needs and ensure that these data resources are able to continue to support the global research community,” said Guy Cochrane, GBC executive director.

“Selecting this first set of GCBRs is an important step for better understanding the broader ecosystem of data resources that are vital to life science and biomedical research," said Eric Green, director of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute and GBC board member. "It also represents a starting point for enhanced discussions with various research communities and their funders about how best to ensure the long-term sustainability of vital biodata resources.”

"It is very gratifying that the Global Biodata Coalition has recognized the critical services that GBIF provides to the research community, and thus the importance of ensuring long-term, sustainable funding for our network," said Joe Miller, GBIF executive secretary. "The inclusion of GBIF in this select list of core global resources is a great tribute to the entire community of nodes, data publishers and partners who have worked for years to support GBIF’s mission."

GBIF will work with GBC members and other GBCRs to help demonstrate GBIF’s value to global research and cultivate additional sources of funding.

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