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<p>Founded in 2003, the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) is
dedicated to archiving, management, and public dissemination of
structural biology data, and is committed to the FAIR Principles
(Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability) that
are emblematic of responsible stewardship of public domain
information.</p>
<p>wwPDB operations are governed by the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cdn.rcsb.org/wwpdb/img/about/2021_wwPDB_Charter_with_Appendix.pdf__;!!Mih3wA!G1YaZBCr5GjpgzWtKJp_miTBT9jEaIb-9mc-LygYgzijJ4cCqAE8-vEmarbWlRe7B9GVNqXhm8OnQbL1ew$">wwPDB
Charter (PDF)</a>, which was most recently renewed in 2021. The
renewed agreement provides for two types of wwPDB membership--Full
and Associate.</p>
<p>Current wwPDB Full Members include three founding members
[Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data
Bank (RCSB PDB, USA), Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe, United
Kingdom), and Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj, Japan)] and two
specialist data resource members [Biological Magnetic Resonance
Bank (BMRB, USA and Japan; joined in 2006) and Electron Microscopy
Data Bank (EMDB, United Kingdom; joined in 2021)].</p>
<p>Full Members jointly manage three wwPDB Core Archives, including
the Protein Data Bank, the Biological Magnetic Resonance Bank, and
the Electron Microscopy Data Bank. Data safety and security and
periodic archival updates are the primary responsibility of three
wwPDB-designated Archive Keepers, including RCSB PDB for the
Protein Data Bank, BMRB for the Biological Magnetic Resonance
Bank, and EMDB for the Electron Microscopy Data Bank.</p>
<p>The wwPDB acknowledges the importance of global equity in the
ability to deposit and access data, and the need for international
involvement and collaboration in maintaining the wwPDB Core
Archives.</p>
<p>The renewed wwPDB Charter describes the Associate Membership
program, wherein Associate Members are expected to contribute to
some of the wwPDB activities (deposition, validation, biocuration,
remediation, storage, dissemination of public-domain structural
biology data stored in one or more wwPDB Core Archives). The
responsibilities of an individual wwPDB Associate Member for
deposition, validation, biocuration, remediation, storage, and/or
dissemination of public-domain structural biology data stored in
one or more wwPDB Core Archives must be agreed upon by all wwPDB
Full Members.</p>
<p>At the discretion of wwPDB Full Members, an external organization
may be invited to apply to become a wwPDB Associate Member,
following preliminary discussions and successful completion of due
diligence and demonstration of sufficient technical expertise,
adequate infrastructure, and sustainable funding. The decision to
admit a new wwPDB Associate Member must be by unanimous vote of
the current Heads of the existing wwPDB Full Members, supported by
a simple majority of the voting members of the wwPDB Advisory
Committee.</p>
<p>Full details of the arrangement are provided in the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cdn.rcsb.org/wwpdb/img/about/2021_wwPDB_Charter_with_Appendix.pdf__;!!Mih3wA!G1YaZBCr5GjpgzWtKJp_miTBT9jEaIb-9mc-LygYgzijJ4cCqAE8-vEmarbWlRe7B9GVNqXhm8OnQbL1ew$">wwPDB
Charter (PDF)</a>.</p>
<p></p>
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