Global Research Consortium, SPARC, is accepted into the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program to Provide Free, FAIR Access to Scientific Data—Accelerating Research that Bridges the Body and the Brain.
[Philadelphia, 28 May 2025] — In a landmark move underscoring the power of global scientific collaboration, the SPARC Data and Resource Center (SPARC DRC)—a research consortium of international scientists formed in 2014 and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)—has announced acceptance into the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program to provide open access to the growing collection of curated research studies, models and simulations available on the SPARC Portal. The SPARC initiative is rooted in the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and aims to empower a new era of data-driven discovery, particularly toward devices and therapeutics designed to improve human health.
With acceptance into the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program, the SPARC DRC will make detailed, structured information from research experiments contributed by dedicated scientists worldwide, freely accessible and findable on the Registry of Open Data on AWS. The AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program covers the cost of storage for publicly available, high-value, cloud-optimized datasets. Datasets and models shared on the SPARC Portal focus on neural connectivity, organ innervation, and detailed anatomical mapping of the peripheral nervous system. SPARC datasets distinguish themselves from other data resources through its multi-modal approach to scientific data to bring together in one location, molecular, imaging, computational modeling, simulation and other data types associated with the interaction between the peripheral nervous system and organs. SPARC data and models provide a unique integrated effort to develop next-generation mapping of anatomical and functional connectivity of the nervous system. All contributions are carefully structured and curated, making it an invaluable resource for researchers, developers, and public health innovators.
“This is what science is all about: collaboration, transparency, and the free exchange of information to propel discovery,” said Dr. Joost Waganaar, SPARC DRC principal investigator. “We’ve been working together for over a decade with a shared vision—to make critical and diverse scientific information about how the nervous system controls organ function accessible and useful for all, particularly those working to improve human health. Our goal is to establish the SPARC Portal as a sustainable and interoperable pillar of the biomedical data ecosystem.” The consortium, comprising scientists from leading institutions in the United States, Switzerland and New Zealand, has long focused on an integrative view of the richness of scientific data. By bringing data, models, simulations and devices together, the opportunities to collaborate continue to evolve.
“Access to high-quality data from carefully conducted experiments is essential for accelerating the development of therapies,” said Dr. Beryl Rabindran, Life Sciences Lead at AWS Open Data. “This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to support open data and global innovation.” The open data sponsorship is expected to support the wide range of research contributed by the diverse community by making the SPARC Portal FAIR and freely available for reuse. The initiative supports not just integrative systems physiology and neuroscience, but also vital progress in interoception, neuromodulation device modeling and development, chronic pain and disease research.
SPARC data and models will continue to be broadly available to the scientific community directly from the SPARC Portal and will now also be accessible completely free of transfer cost due to the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program. Researchers, developers, policymakers, and educators are all encouraged to explore and contribute to this expanding, open-access resource.
About the SPARC Data and Resource Center (SPARC DRC) Formed in 2014, the SPARC DRC is dedicated to enabling FAIR access to structured data that supports research, innovation, and public good. Initiated with funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and involving contributors from across continents, the group develops tools and standards that democratize data in the service of science. https://sparc.science
About AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program AWS is the trusted technology and innovation partner to the global healthcare and life sciences industry. When data is shared on AWS, anyone can analyze it and build services on top of it using a broad range of compute and data analytics products. The AWS Open Data sponsorship program allows researchers to share cloud-optimized data on AWS, reducing the cost of research and product development because it lets users spend more time on data analysis rather than on data acquisition.
