  Modern tools for biological research, especially microscopy, have rapidly
advanced in recent years, which has led to the generation of increasingly large
amounts of data on a regular basis. The result is that scientists desperately
need state-of-the-art technical infrastructure for raw data storage, transfer,
and processing. These scientists currently rely on outdated ways to move and
store data, costing valuable time and risking loss of valuable data. While the
community is aware of modern approaches to data management and high-level
principles (including FAIR), highly-trained and highly-paid scientists are
forced to spend time dealing with technical problems, which can ultimately
costs more than providing storage and a fast network on campus. Here we provide
concise arguments for better infrastructure, blueprints of possible solutions,
and advice in navigating the political process of solving this issue. We
suggest, as a broad solution, separate NIH-managed fund for supporting
universities and institutes in deployment of data storage and long-term data
sharing for all funded projects. This position statement is open for more
contributors from imaging, life sciences, and other disciplines. Please contact
us with your experience and perspective.
