Native BioData Consortium

Native BioData Consortium is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to supporting data sovereignty for Indigenous nations, across fields and disciplines. This X-Grant supports a series of regional summits hosted by Native BioData Consortium to bring together journalists and subject matter experts to explore storytelling about data sovereignty.

The Native BioData Consortium is the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit research institute led by Indigenous scientists and tribal members in the United States, whose goal is to use health data for quality-of-life improvement and to ensure that advances in genetics and health research benefit all Indigenous people. The organization, founded in 2018, is led by Indigenous biomedical scientists, and governed by a Board and Community Advisory Group that includes tribal experts in precision health, technology, law, policy, business, ethics, and cultural matters. The mission is to both securely “bank” the genomic and related data for health research and economic advancement of Native peoples, and to serve as a STEM/STEAM Education Center for Native high school, undergraduate, graduate, and continuous learning students. Located on Sioux territory in the Great Plains, the Native BioData Consortium has relationships with 19 tribes in the area, and Board members from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The organization aims to provide actionable advice to tribal leadership nationally and globally, and the Foundation’s award will provide general operating support to help establish essential and foundational infrastructure for it to carry out its mission.