MIRRI-ERIC Strengthens International Collaboration with China

At the beginning of March, MIRRI-ERIC Executive Director Ana Portugal Melo (in the photo, second from the right), together with Philippe Desmeth (in the photo, first from the left), member of the MIRRI-ERIC Advisory Board, visited the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) in Beijing (China). IMCAS hosts the World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WDCM) of the WFCC. The visit initiated contacts between WDCM and MIRRI-ERIC, envisaging a close collaboration between both organisations.  

IMCAS hosted an International Cooperation and Exchange Symposium where MIRRI-ERIC and WDCM were presented, and possible areas of cooperation were identified. Identified areas included data interoperability, quality management, and joint initiatives to advance global access to microbial resources. This symposium also included a visit to the IMCAS culture collections and Museum. 

Accompanying the visit was Prof. Juncai MA (in the photo, first from the right), Director of the WDCM and Head of the NMDC at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Science, and Dr. Linhuan WU (in the photo, second from the left), Deputy Director of WDCM and of NMDC. 

WFCC-MIRCEN World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WDCM), established in 1966, under the aegis of World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) and UNESCO’s Microbial Resources Centres Network (MIRCEN), serves as the global hub for microbial resource data management. As the global microbial resources data centre, WDCM has a long-standing commitment to developing and applying cutting-edge Information Technology to improve access to and use of data and information, to optimise the interoperability of microbial data, and to facilitate the exchange of open data, supporting international open science exchanges. 

The National Microbiology Data Centre is China’s national platform for the integration, management, and sharing of microbiological data, supporting research, innovation, and bioresource utilisation.  

Both centres, hosted at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, play a critical role in advancing data-driven microbiology and facilitating international cooperation. 

To maintain momentum and further define collaborative actions, a follow-up meeting is planned for September. This visit highlights MIRRI-ERIC’s ongoing commitment to international cooperation and its strategic role in connecting global microbial resource communities.