BioImage Archive
Overview
The BioImage Archive (BIA) is EMBL-EBI’s open-access submission repository for biological image data from all life science domains. Launched in 2021, it accepts image datasets supporting publications across light microscopy, electron microscopy, medical imaging, and other biological imaging modalities. BIA operates as the broad-intake archive for bioimaging, serving as the mandatory deposition point for any biological image dataset accompanying an open-access publication under major funder mandates, including those of cOAlition S and the Wellcome Trust.
Scope
BIA accepts submissions across the full range of biological imaging modalities and study types, including raw and processed microscopy data, high-content screening datasets, medical and preclinical imaging, and correlative imaging. Unlike IDR, there is no requirement for the dataset to be a reference resource suitable for reanalysis. BIA is designed to accommodate any image data that needs to be openly archived. Submissions receive accession numbers and persistent identifiers, and are indexed in BioStudies, EMBL-EBI’s cross-archive study metadata database, for discoverability.
Relationship to IDR
BIA and IDR are complementary EMBL-EBI services operating at different levels of curation. BIA handles broad intake of all image data submitted to support open access mandates, while IDR selects and deeply curates a subset of high-value reference datasets for reanalysis.
Connections
- Operated by: EMBL (EMBL-EBI)
- Curated counterpart: IDR (reference datasets from published studies)
- Metadata standard: REMBI