EMBL-EBI maintains the world’s most comprehensive suite of life science data resources. Our mission is to provide data and bioinformatics services that are open and accessible to all, consistent with our Terms of Use.
Data resources are built on data contributed by scientists worldwide over many decades, and maintained through global partnerships that promote interoperability and the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. They are a global public good, accessed by users from every UN member state and linked to over 100,000 scientific publications each year. To help users make the most of these resources, EMBL-EBI offers web-based on-demand training. This is accessed by over 500,000 unique users annually, with one in five based in low- and middle-income countries. We support reciprocal exchange through international scientific networks, and offer a programme of activities engaging users and service delivery partners in low-resource settings.
Independent impact evaluations show that EMBL-EBI open data resources significantly accelerate research, enabling science that would otherwise be impossible. A 2026 evaluation found these non-monetary benefits equal €13.9bn per year in productivity gains and €7.4bn per year in enabled research and development returns to users around the globe.
Many EMBL-EBI data resources are relevant to discussions at international fora, such as the United Nations (UN), Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation. Key topics include biodiversity loss, food security and response to disease outbreaks.
In these discussions, open data resources are recognised as essential. They maximise global access to the scientific data required to fuel progress and respond to global challenges. Alongside data sharing, these fora focus on the equitable sharing of the benefits that arise from using open data – in both monetary and non-monetary terms. This concept is known as Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).
Open data resources are considered a non-monetary benefit within the ABS concept. By making data openly available, and by providing complementary training and capacity building, EMBL-EBI helps ensure that the benefits of open access to biological data is shared globally.
In November 2024, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties agreed on Decision 16/2. This Decision sets benefit-sharing obligations for users of Digital Sequence Information (DSI). EMBL-EBI’s Terms of Use recognise that users and contributors of DSI may be subject to these obligations.
EMBL-EBI is aligned with international agreements on Access and Benefits Sharing, and remains involved in these discussions. We have:
These changes help ensure our users and data submitters understand their obligations relating to the multilateral mechanism and ABS. We will update this page as further international agreements are reached.
For more guidance on these requirements, visit the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity or contact National Focal Points. Individual EMBL-EBI data resource helpdesks can provide more detail on how they have aligned with these requirements.
Page last updated: 16th September 2026