ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences is Germany’s national infrastructure and research hub for data and information in the life sciences. Our digital services support research projects that benefit people and the environment: from medicine and biodiversity to environmental protection.
Our vision
Harnessing research and infrastructure to empower people and benefit the environment.
The vision stems from our aspiration to support life sciences researchers throughout the entire research cycle in accordance with the principles and practices of open science. ZB MED is particularly committed to the ongoing development of data-supported research.
Our mission:
Our vision is summarized in five strategic giudelines that we consistently implement:
- Research + networking: We conduct joint research with partners from regional, national, European and global research communities.
- Data science: We facilitate data analysis and generate new insights through research.
- Access to information: As an information infrastructure hub, we provide reliable, long-term access to information, literature and data.
- Open + FAIR: We promote open, reproducible research based on the principles of open science and FAIR data.
- Knowledge + skills sharing: We actively share knowledge, competencies and skills.
Information Hub for Life Sciences
We provide the infrastructure and resources required to access literature and information, manage data, and process and analyse large data sets.
Data Sciences for Life Sciences
We carry out applied and transdisciplinary research. In doing so, we come up with new ways to exploit the potential of data and analytics. We also act as a partner to the research community, creating new knowledge that caters to its needs.
Unique selling proposition (USP):
As a central information hub for the life sciences, ZB MED offers a combination of nationwide access to information, big data analyses and knowledge transfer.
Our core mission
ZB MED is a foundation under public law. The foundation’s goal is to ensure the national provision of information and literature in the fields of medicine, health care, nutritional, environmental and agricultural sciences – including the relevant basic sciences and related subject areas – for the purposes of research, teaching and practical application. One of the foundation’s primary tasks is to work on behalf of specific target groups to acquire, catalogue, archive and provide access to German and foreign literature and all other types of analogue and digital information media. The foundation also carries out research and development projects in the field of information science, driving forward this general area of research while simultaneously improving the provision of information and literature by the foundation itself.
Our target groups
ZB MED’s core mission is profoundly shaped by its focus on the evolving needs of its priority target groups. ZB MED’s primary target groups include life science researchers at German universities and non-academic research institutions.
