The International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) is a global collaboration of independent governmental or non-profit organisations that manage nucleotide sequence databases capturing and preserving nucleotide sequence information and annotations to create a comprehensive collection that preserves the scientific record and enables broad sharing of such data. INSDC Members provide data resources that include raw sequence reads and alignments, structured metadata describing investigated samples such as taxonomic information, experimental, and project design, assembled nucleotide sequence data with functional annotation, and sequence-derived analyses. INSDC Members exchange data and make exchanged data freely accessible without restrictive licensing as part of the scientific record, including all corrections and updates.

Mission

The mission of INSDC is to support advancements in biomedical and life sciences, public health, research, innovation, discovery, education, capacity building, and bioeconomies by providing services to accept, preserve, and openly disseminate sequence data and metadata that are generated worldwide.

Vision

INSDC is the premiere open access nucleotide sequence data sharing collaboration in the world, fostering access of nucleotide sequence data from all continents and regions, and providing broad recognition to those who generate and share sequence data.

INSDC actively fulfills its mission and vision by strategically aligning its services with its core principles. This commitment is demonstrated through services including the provision of unique and persistent identifiers, use of community and INSDC defined standards for data description and sustainable management, tools and services to facilitate data use and analysis, and support for relevant community standards and best practices. Through these services, INSDC data resources become fairly and equitably available to any user.

Members commit to the following principles:

• Provision of free and unrestricted access to INSDC data resources and services to members of the public;
• Promotion of fairness and equity in access to INSDC data resources and services;
• Upholding of the quality and integrity of INSDC data resources and services through quality assurance practices; and
• Engagement with stakeholders including data depositors, data users, and journal publishers, to promote INSDC and represent its interests.

The INSDC is governed by two committees as detailed below:

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee establishes the strategic directions of INSDC, directs administrative activities such as organising meetings and overseeing the INSDC website content, resolves disputes, and sets membership expectations.

Implementation Committee

The INSDC Implementation Committee accepts INSDC-wide policies, protocols, and procedures; prepares for and responds to technology changes; approves modifications for infrastructure requirements, features, and schemas used to build INSDC-participating repositories and their services; trains, assesses, and approves new INSDC Members; and maintains website content and internal documentation.

The INSDC is a collaboration between the following member organisations:

❖ The Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS), National Institute of Genetics (NIG)

❖ The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI)

❖ The National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Institutes of Health