On Jun. 27, 2025, today is World Microbiome Day and the Microbiota Vault, together with all participating Local Collections, published the perspective paper “The Microbiota Vault Initiative: Safeguarding Earth’s microbial heritage for future generations” in Nature Communications.

The successful Launch Phase of the Microbiota Vault has proven the feasibility of its equitable framework, with 1’400+ samples from Local Collections across multiple continents safely stored. This achievement represents a truly global collaborative effort.

The Launch Phase has demonstrated that equitable international biobanking is not just possible – it is essential for preserving microbial diversity for future generations.