1. Agreement for distribution
The Microbial Culture Collection at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES-Collection) will distribute strains to users who agree to the following conditions:
(1) The strains (including DNA replicates and derivatives from the strains) that are distributed from the NIES-Collection shall be available for education, research, tests, and other special purposes permitted by NIES, as well as for purposes in which public safety must be ensured. The strains are not intended to apply directly to humans. If the strains are toxic, the user hereby acknowledges and accepts the risks posed by toxic strains and shall use the strains in compliance with domestic and foreign laws, regulations, and guidelines. The user shall store and discard the strains appropriately. Even if “toxic” is not specified in the strain list, the user hereby acknowledges and accepts the potential risks of the strains and shall use the strains in compliance with domestic and foreign laws, regulations, and guidelines.
(2) The user shall be requested to submit the application form personally.
(3) The user shall not acquire any intellectual property rights by the purchase of the strain.
(4) The user shall provide written notice to the NIES when the purpose has changed considerably from the purpose that was stated at the time of submission.
(5) The user shall not distribute the strains, or their replicates and derivatives to any third party.
(6) The user shall use the NIES strain number (e.g., NIES-125) when he/she uses a NIES strain in a paper that is subsequently published, and shall send two copies of the reprint(s) or photocopies thereof to the NIES-Collection.
(7) When the use of the strain violates another person’s rights, the user shall bear responsibility for this, and shall deal with the matter on his/her own.
(8) The user shall acknowledge the possibility that the strain is deficient and harmful, and inadequate for the user’s aim. Thus, if the user suffers any loss by the strain, he/she shall bear responsibility for this and shall deal with the matter on his/her own.
(9) The user shall submit the Strain Receipt Form ( PDF / Word )within 1 month of the date of receipt of the strain. The user may request that the strain be sent again without charge if the strain does not show good growth during this warranty period. The NIES-Collection shall not bear any responsibility for mistakes by the user.
2. Ordering strains
2.1. Ordering culture strains
| Online order |
| 1. Serch and order the strain(s) | PageTop | |
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| 1.1 | Search the strain(s) from [Strain list - Alphabetical index-], [Strain list - Systematic index-], and [Search strain data], mark the strain(s) you need, and click Add to Cart button. |
| 1.2 | When you order from the Strain Data page, click Add to Cart button. |
| 2. Check the view cart of your order | PageTop | |
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| 2.1 | Select [Your category] and [Affiliation category] |
| 2.2 | Confirm strain no., scientific name, remarks, etc. |
| 2.3 | Enter the object of the use, and click Continue button. |
| 3. Enter your information to ‘Strain ordering form’ | PageTop | |
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Necessary to enter.
| 4. Check the ‘Ordering form and agreement for distribution’ | PageTop | |
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| 4.1 | Check ‘Your order’ and ‘Your registration information’ |
| 4.2 | When you want to change ‘Your registration information’, click Correction of your information button. |
| 4.3 | Please read ‘Agreement for distribution.’ The NIES-Collection will distribute strains to users who agree to these conditions. |
| 4.4 | Click Submit ordering form button. Your order will be completed. Confirmation e-mail from the NIES-Collection will be sent to your registered e-mail address. |
| 5. Print ‘Ordering form and agreement for distribution’ and send two original doccuments | PageTop | |
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| Print two copies of the ‘Ordering form and agreement
for distribution’ by clicking Print this
page button, sign and send the two original documents
to the address below. If you are a student / part-timer, NIES-Collection requests signature of your supervisor / employer. Please note that we can ship the strain(s) only after we receive two original copies (with the user’s signature and date) of the “Ordering form and agreement for distribution”. |
| Order by regular mail |
We will accept your order by regular mail. Requests to the NIES-Collection for strains shall be made by completing the “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form”, and by sending two original copies via mail to the following address. After being signed by the administrator at the NIES, one copy of the “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form” will be sent back to the user. If the user is a student or a part-time employee, we would prefer the order to come from his/her supervisor or an employer. Requests by e-mail and fax and online orders are available, but in any requests to the NIES-Collection for strains two original copies of the “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form” with the user’s signature (and supervisor’s/employer’s signature, if needed) and date are necessary. We will ship the strain only after we accept the original copies of the “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form”.
| Address : | Microbial Culture Collection, |
| Biodiversity Resource Conservation Section, Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, JAPAN |
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| Tel： +81-29-850-2556 Fax： +81-29-850-2587  |
2.2. Receipt of the strain
Upon receipt of a strain, the “Strain Receipt Form” ( PDF / Word ) should be completed and returned to the NIES-Collection within 1 month.
3. Price and payment
3.1. Price
| Universities, public institutions | Companies, commercial organizations | |
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| About 15 mL aliquot of culture strain |
6,300 JPY | 10,500 JPY |
Sales tax (5%) is included, but postage is additional to the price of the strain. However, the NIES-Collection distribute selected strains without charge for educational use in high schools. In this case, the user cannot specify the species or strains. Please contact the staff of the NIES-Collection for details.
3.2. Payment
Payment should be made before the due date by bank transfer to the bank account indicated on the invoice from NIES. Charges for bank transfer are incurred by the user.
4. Special notes regarding distribution
4.1. "Difficult to transport" strains
Some strains, such as those of dinoflagellates and raphidophytes, are fragile and can die easily during transportation. The strains are indicated as “Difficult to transport”in the Remarks column of the list of strains. For transport of these strains to foreign countries, we will use courier services, such as FedEx. Please understand that we may need several trials for transportation of such strains successfully.
4.2. "Cryopreserved" strains
Most of the cyanobacterial strains and some of the green and red algal strains
are preserved only in liquid nitrogen. These cryopreserved strains are indicated
in the Remarks column of the list of strains. Cryopreservation is necessary
for long-term preservation of these strains in culture collections, preventing
contamination during repetitive transfer and genetic changes by mutation (Day
& DeVille, 1995). Now, the NIES-Collection holds ca. 600 strains only in the
vapor phase of liquid nitrogen. Frozen cells of these cryopreserved strains
are thawed and inoculated into fresh medium just after the order is accepted.
As a result, it takes at least 1 month for overseas shipping of these strains.
= REFERENCE =
Day, J. G. & DeVille, M. M. 1995 Cryopreservation of algae (Chapter 9), In Day
J.G. & McLellan M.R. (eds.), Methods in Molecular Biology Vol. 38, Cryopreservation
and Freeze-Drying Protocols, p.81-89, Humana Press, Totowa, USA.
4.3. Toxic strains
Strains that have been reported to produce toxic substance are indicated as “toxic” in the list of strains. Users who order these strains must confirm and appreciate its implications before use of the strain, even if the user’s purpose is not relevant to the strain’s toxic characteristics.
4.4. Distribution of strains shared with TISTR
We distribute those strains shared with TISTR (Microbiological Resource Centre, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research) for educational and research purposes only. For these strains, TISTR strain numbers are also indicated in the “Other collection strain no.” in the list of strains
4.5. Distribution of strains collected outside Japan since 1993
Distribution of some strains collected and isolated outside Japan since 1993 is now suspended pursuant to the Convention on Biological Diversity, although the strain data are available in the catalog. Please contact the staff of the NIES-Collection if you wish to request these strains.
5. Distribution to NIES researchers
Strains are available to NIES researchers without charge. Please complete two original copies “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form” and send it via in-house mail or pass it on to the staff directly. Online ordering is also available. The “Strain Ordering and Agreement Form” is also required for online orders by NIES researchers.
