Partnerships with similar or related initiatives is a critical part of the network’s strategy, so that existing standards or protocols can be promoted and not reinvented. For example, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is leading the world in the development of specimen data standards, which IABIN is promoting. Strong relationships are also being developed with national environmental information organizations which are often very active and better placed to promote national programs, such as the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) in the United States or the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio) of Costa Rica.