At the heart of SBGrid is our curated software collection: 500+ ready-to-run applications for X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR, tomography, computational chemistry, molecular visualization, and more.

Our team installs and maintains these applications directly on members' computers—from HPC clusters to workstations, cloud environments and laptops—running on Linux and macOS. Updates and new titles are delivered automatically in the background, so the software is always current without requiring local system administration. Members manage access through a modular installation manager, powered by our Capsules environment, which guarantees seamless operation across platforms.

For the North American academic laboratories we also provide access to Schrödinger Small-Molecule Drug Discovery Suite.

The result: less time troubleshooting, more time for science.

At SBGrid, we believe in sharing not only software but also knowledge. Structural biology tools can be complex, so we provide multiple ways to help you get started — including NIH-sponsored R25 CryoEM and CryoET workshops, a library of 200+ video tutorials on YouTube, monthly webinars, and dedicated support.

Becoming part of the SBGrid community helps strengthen the field as a whole. You can join by registering for our seminar series and subscribing to our Medium, Bluesky, and YouTube channels for the latest updates. All educational resources are open to the broader structural biology community — not just consortium members.

If your lab is already part of SBGrid, please confirm that your contact information is registered with us. Registered members receive workshop announcements, our monthly newsletter, and access to the SBGrid software installer. If you're unsure of your registration status, contact us to confirm.

For more details, visit our Community Hub, where you can explore the Consortium Directory, read Member and Developer Tales, browse SBGrid-powered publications, and learn about our history, leadership, and policies.

SBGrid bridges the gap between researchers and software developers.

We collaborate with developers to include their tools—whether open source or distributed under academic licenses—in the SBGrid software collection. By managing software installation and updates for the global community, we free developers to focus on innovation and new features.

Our team provides the first line of user support and partners with developers to troubleshoot complex issues.

For guidance on navigating software licensing, our Guide to Software Licensing for the Scientist-Programmer in PLOS Computational Biology can assist with discussions at local technology offices.

We also offer letters of support and usage data summaries to help developers demonstrate the impact of their software. Requests for support letters can be submitted through our contact page.

By partnering with SBGrid, developers gain visibility, impact, and a sustainable framework for supporting their software.

Beyond structural biology software, SBGrid invests in shared community infrastructure:

SBGrid Data Bank (SBDB)

An open repository for experimental datasets that promotes reproducibility and long-term data preservation. The collection now includes nearly 1,000 X-ray diffraction datasets linked to published studies.

SBCloud

A workflow-optimized, AWS-based computing platform designed for Cryo-EM. SBCloud supports all SBGrid workshops, has been piloted with about 20 consortium laboratories, and is regularly used by several industry partners.

BioGrids

A companion software collection comprising more than 700 bioinformatics and biomedical tools, widely used across hospitals, academia, and industry. It serves as the primary platform supporting rare disease research at Boston Children's Hospital and is also employed by many SBGrid laboratories.

Together, these initiatives enhance accessibility, minimize duplication, and advance the FAIR principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable—for scientific software and data.

The SBGrid Consortium is a non-profit, NIH-compliant Service Center at Harvard Medical School, supported entirely by its member laboratories—spanning academia, government, and industry worldwide. Founded in 2001 by Piotr Sliz, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and BCMP at HMS, SBGrid has grown from a local effort into a global community that Piotr continues to direct. Its reach is extended by faculty co-leads: Prof. Jamaine Davis (education, Belmont University), Prof. Kurt Krause (Oceania outreach, University of Otago), and Prof. José María Carazo (European collaborations, CNB-CSIC Madrid).

Guided by an Advisory Board and Steering Committees, supported by expert staff, and shaped by member feedback, SBGrid operates as a community-driven resource that shares expertise, pools resources, and strengthens research infrastructure across structural biology.

Expanding in Europe and Industry

SBGrid has expanded its global reach through a partnership with Instruct-ERIC, establishing a European hub at CNB-CSIC in Madrid, where Dr. Estrella Fernández-Giménez leads software curation and outreach, including integration of tools such as SCIPION. Membership has also grown in biotech and pharma, with many companies joining during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the surge of cryo-EM research, reflecting SBGrid's role as a shared resource for both academic and industry laboratories worldwide.

Membership in SBGrid means:

• Immediate access to a vast library of curated, ready-to-run applications.
• Direct support from a team of structural biologists and computing specialists.
• Participation in a global community committed to collaboration, reproducibility, and innovation.

Together, we make structural biology computing easier, faster, and more reproducible.