RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC) is a non-profit institution and only requires users to pay the minimum costs for the actual preparation and handling of resources for distribution.
Due to the rising costs of labor and raw materials, we have decided to revise our distribution fees.
Effective for all requests for provision completed on or after Wednesday, April 1, 2026 (JST), the revised distribution fees will apply to all orders for bioresources, and you will be responsible for the following “(1) Provision Fee” and “(2) Handling Fee.”
We deeply appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and we look forward to receiving your requests for bioresources.
You can download an Excel file here to check an estimate of the charges.
For an exact quotation, please inquire by email with the completed ORDER FORM (Form M-10).
(1) Provision Fee
| Delivery category | Old fee | New fee (Handling fee separately) |
||
| Category I MTA† | Category II MTA§ | Category I MTA† | Category II MTA§ | |
| A# | ¥5,500 | ¥11,000 | ¥11,440 | ¥22,880 |
| F‡ | ¥7,480 | ¥14,960 | ¥14,740 | ¥29,480 |
| B | ¥11,000 | ¥22,000 | ¥25,960 | ¥51,920 |
| C | ¥19,030 | ¥38,060 | ¥44,000 | ¥88,000 |
(2) Handling Fee¶
| BSL | Delivery category (Carrier) |
Handling fee (shipping not included) |
| BSL1 | Any category/ Carrier | ¥2,000 |
| BSL2 | A (FedEx) | ¥3,100 |
| B or C (FedEx) | ¥4,400 | |
| A (Post) | ¥11,600 | |
| B or C (Post) | ¥12,900 | |
| F‡ | ¥2,000 |
¶ A handling fee will be applied for each shipment. Shipping charges (e.g., international mail or courier services such as FedEx, TNT, or World Courier) will be billed separately.
• If multiple samples are ordered and all samples can be included in a single shipment, only one handling fee will be charged. (Ex. 1)
• If samples from different categories or biosafety levels (BSL) are shipped together in a single shipment, only the handling fee for the highest-priced category will apply. (Ex. 2, Ex. 3)
• If multiple materials of Category B (cultured microorganisms) or Category C (requested cultured microorganisms) are ordered, it may not be possible to ship all cultures together in a single shipment. In such cases, a handling fee will be applied for each shipment. (Ex. 4)
# A 10% discount on the provision fees for Category A samples will be applied only when 20 or more Category A samples are ordered at one time. The discount does not apply to provision fees for samples other than Category A or to the handling fee. (Ex. 5)
‡ Only available for the RECIPIENT who can arrange the shipment by the courier that satisfies the following conditions.
The courier should:
• accept microbes.
• have a Japan branch.
• provide dry ice with the Dry Ice Shipper or liquid nitrogen with the Liquid Nitrogen Shipper for the transport.
• provide a service to replenish dry ice at the customs (upon arrival to the customs) such as World Courier and Cryoport.
Please note that the dry ice should be refilled upon arrival to customs, NOT AFTER passed the customs.
† This is a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) for research conducted for not-for-profit, academic purposes by not-for-profit organizations. Even when used by not-for-profit organizations, a “Category II” MTA is required if the research involves collaboration with for-profit entities or research aimed at obtaining patents.
§ This is a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) for research conducted by for-profit organizations or for research conducted by not-for-profit organizations for for-profit purposes.
| (Ex. 1) | Shipping 10 Category A/BSL1 samples via International Mail for not-for-profit academic research to Zone 3 (Oceania, North America excluding the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe) |
||
| (1) Provision fee | ¥114,400 | Category A : ¥11,440 × 10 samples | |
| (2) Handling fee | ¥2,000 | for Category A/BSL1 samples via international mail | |
| Postage | ¥3,850 | Based on the rates set by Japan Post | |
| Total Amount Due | ¥120,250 | ||
| (Ex. 2) | Shipping 5 Category A/BSL1 samples and 1 Category A/BSL2 sample via FedEx for not-for-profit academic research (when both cultures can be shipped together in a single package) |
||
| (1) Provision fee | ¥68,640 | Category A : ¥11,440 × 6 samples | |
| (2) Handling fee | ¥3,100 | Only the handling fee for Category A/BSL2 via FedEx applies | |
| Shipping fee | Cash on Delivery | The RECIPIENT’s FedEx account will be charged. | |
| Total Amount Due | ¥71,740 | ||
| (Ex. 3) | Shipping 1 Category A/BSL1 sample and 1 Category B/BSL1 sample via FedEx for not-for-profit academic research (when both samples can be shipped together in a single package) |
||
| (1) Provision fee Category A/BSL1 |
¥11,440 | Category A : ¥11,440 × 1 sample | |
| (1) Provision fee Category B/BSL1 |
¥25,960 | Category B : ¥25,960 × 1 sample | |
| (2) Handling fee | ¥2,000 | One unit of the handling fee for BSL1 via FedEx applies | |
| Shipping fee | Cash on Delivery | The RECIPIENT’s FedEx account will be charged. | |
| Total Amount Due | ¥39,400 | ||
| (Ex. 4) | Shipping 5 Category B/BSL1 samples via FedEx for not-for-profit academic research (when the samples are shipped in three separate shipments) |
||
| (1) Provision fee | ¥129,800 | Category B : ¥25,960 × 5 samples | |
| (2) Handling fee | ¥6,000 | Handling fee for BSL1/FedEx × 3 shipments | |
| Shipping fee | Cash on Delivery | The RECIPIENT’s FedEx account will be charged. | |
| Total Amount Due | ¥135,800 | ||
| (Ex. 5) | Shipping 25 Category A/BSL1 samples and 1 Category B/BSL1 sample via FedEx for not-for-profit academic research (when all samples are shipped together in a single package) |
||
| (1) Provision fee Category A/BSL1 |
¥257,400 | Category A : ¥11,440 × 25 samples (¥286,000 with 10% discount [-¥28,600] applied) |
|
| (1) Provision fee Category B/BSL1 |
¥25,960 | Category B : ¥25,960 × 1 sample (No discount applied) | |
| (2) Handling fee | ¥2,000 | BSL1/FedEx shipping fee applies | |
| Shipping fee | Cash on Delivery | The RECIPIENT’s FedEx account will be charged. | |
| Total Amount Due | ¥285,360 | ||
