42 U.S.C. § 286c — Purpose, establishment, functions, and funding of National Center for Biotechnology Information

(a) Establishment. This section creates the National Center for Biotechnology Information (the "Center") within the National Library of Medicine. Its purpose is to focus on and expand the collection, storage, retrieval, and sharing of biotechnology research results through information systems, and to support new information technologies that help people understand the molecular processes behind health and disease. (b) Functions. Through the Center, and subject to section 286(d), the Secretary must: (1) design, build, run, and manage automated systems that collect, store, retrieve, analyze, and share knowledge about human molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics; (2) research advanced computer-based methods for representing and analyzing the huge number of biologically important molecules and compounds; (3) let people working in biotechnology research and medical care use the systems built under (1) and the methods developed under (2); and (4) coordinate, as much as is practical, efforts to gather biotechnology information on an international scale.