Culture collection: new accessions

Got a strain you want to deposit in an internationally recognised culture collection? NCIMB welcomes new accessions, that meet our criteria, to the open collection. Type strains and organisms with new or novel properties, enzymes or metabolites are particularly welcome.

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What can be added to the National Collection of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria?

We can accept:

  • bacteria in ACDP hazard groups 1 and 2
  • plasmids contained in a bacterial host
  • bacteriophages.

Why why deposit your strain at NCIMB?

  • Depositing type strains at NCIMB complies with the Bacteriological Code for naming and describing new species and we provide the required certification for publication purposes.
  • There is no charge for depositing in the open collection.

What do we do with strains that are accepted to the open collection?

New accessions to the National Collection of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria are accepted on the understanding that, subject to any health, safety, environmental or other legal or ethical constraints on their distribution, they will be added to the NCIMB catalogue and be made generally available for purchase.

How to deposit a strain

If you have a strain that you would like to deposit in our culture collection, the first step is to get in touch with us to let us know. Once we have a few details about the strain, we will let you know if we can accept it to the collection. You can get in touch by using the contact form on this page, or by phone or email.

The Nagoya Protocol and the Convention for Biological Diversity

We work closely with new depositors to ensure new accessions to the open collection comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol:
Individual countries have a sovereign right to genetic resources within their borders and no such materials should be removed without agreement between the collector and the competent authority in the country of origin. It is the responsibility of depositors and end users to ensure that these undertakings are complied with. The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its objective is the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components. It provides a legal framework for the implementation of this. For more information about NCIMB's CBD policy, please see our CBD information sheet.

Looking for confidential storage?

If what you are looking for is confidential storage of your important organisms, we also offer a range of safe deposit, secure storage and patent deposit services for storage of organisms. More information about these services is available here.
Pricing information and how to order

Pricing, T&Cs; ordering

Read our material transfer agreement and order by email or use our catalogue.

Pricing information and how to order >
Find a strain

Find a strain

Search the culture collection catalogue by NCIMB number, taxon, or for equivalents.

Search the Culture Collection >
Genomic DNA

Genomic DNA

Genomic DNA is available from many of our authenticated reference strains.

Genomic DNA Services >
How to deposit a strain

How to deposit a strain

NCIMB welcomes new accessions, that meet our criteria, to the open collection.

New Accessions to the Collection >
Revival of Strains

Revival of Strains

Please follow our step-by-step guide when opening glass ampoules.

Revival of Strains >
Find a media recipe

Find a media recipe

Our media recipe catalogue includes recipes for all the strains in our collection.

Search for Media Recipes >
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Culture Collection
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