The native biodata consortium in south dakota will develop a training model to prepare indigenous students and emerging information professionals to work with biomedical databases and research…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Native Bio-Data Consortium $599,752 on September 1, 2026, under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to develop a training model preparing Indigenous students and emerging information professionals to work with biomedical databases and research infrastructures grounded in Indigenous data sovereignty and community governance principles.

The project integrates Indigenous leadership, biomedical data training, and open educational resources to create a replicable model supporting Indigenous library and information professionals in engaging with biomedical data systems and advancing community-centered research. Primary beneficiaries include Indigenous students, early-career researchers, and emerging library and information professionals seeking expertise in biomedical information and data stewardship, along with tribal colleges and universities, Native-serving academic libraries, and research programs within tribal nations.

Work is performed in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2028. National Leadership Grants support projects addressing critical needs of the museum and library fields with potential to advance practice through models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated.

The native biodata consortium in south dakota will develop a training model to prepare indigenous students and emerging information professionals to work with biomedical databases and research infrastructures, grounded in indigenous data sovereignty and community governance principles. By integrating indigenous leadership, biomedical data training, and open educational resources, the project will create a replicable model that supports indigenous library and information professionals in engaging with biomedical data systems and advancing community-centered research. Primary beneficiaries include indigenous students, earlycareer researchers, and emerging library and information professionals seeking to develop expertise in biomedical information and data stewardship. Tribal colleges and universities, native-serving academic libraries, and research programs within tribal nations will also directly benefit from the project.