Establishment of co-management system and expanded opportunities of utilization on biological samples of JAMSTEC

Abstract

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) had established “Basic Policies on the Handling of Data and Samples” in 2007 and subsequently expanded opportunities of utilization on data and samples obtained by JAMSTEC activities. For biological samples, while the metadata of the samples are integrated into a database, the samples are brought to various institutions and laboratories by the science party members who collect the samples. As such, JAMSTEC biological samples are operated under a co-management system by Data Management Office of JAMSTEC and science party members of various institutions. This system may sound unusual, but we regard it is a probable system to keep track of the locations of dispersed biological samples belonging to an institution and to operate the samples by the institution. Also, we open the metadata of the samples through a database and accept requests for secondary uses of the samples. JAMSTEC biological samples include not only the samples for long-term storage like those of museums and bioresource centers, but also the samples which is going to be used up in short-terms by scientists. Therefore, JAMSTEC opens wider range of samples to the public than other institutions do. This management system was established intend to maximize contributions of the biological samples to sciences and societies.