[3] It became clear after the International Polar Year (2007–2008) that these bodies could not respond fully to modern data needs.

The International Program Office was established in 2011 and formally inaugurated in 2012, hosted by the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Tokyo, Japan.

[12] The ITO was formed with the mission to build trustworthy and enduring global research data infrastructure for the public good.

They support repositories as they maintain and upgrade their services, including the creation of technical roadmaps and mature infrastructure.

It is responsible for developing research to support technical services for repositories, including creating user interfaces, crosswalks, and complex queries.