> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dataerai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Import from EMPIAR

> Search the Electron Microscopy Public Image Archive (EMPIAR) for cryo-EM datasets and import them into a project as metadata-first assets — without copying the bytes. Each entry's Download opens its data directly on EBI.

Dataerai can pull cryo-EM / cryo-ET imaging datasets from the [Electron Microscopy Public Image Archive](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/empiar/) (EMPIAR), EMBL-EBI's public archive of raw electron-microscopy image data, into one of your projects as **metadata-first assets**. The entry's metadata — title, authors, release date, imaging details — is copied into Dataerai so it's searchable and shareable alongside your own data. The **image data is not copied**: clicking **Download** on an imported asset takes you straight to the entry's data on EBI's servers.

<Note>
  Imported assets are [metadata-first](/data/metadata-first-assets): they describe and link to data that lives on EMPIAR. Nothing is stored in your Dataerai allocation, so importing doesn't consume your quota.
</Note>

One EMPIAR **entry** (an accession such as `EMPIAR-10002`, or the bare number `10002`) imports as **one asset**. Because an EMPIAR entry is a single deposited dataset — often hundreds of gigabytes to terabytes of micrographs across a directory tree, with no single "download" file — the asset's **Download** opens the entry's **anonymous data directory** on EBI (`https://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/empiar/world_availability/<id>/`), where you browse and download the individual image files directly from EMBL-EBI.

## Search EMPIAR

Open the **Import from EMPIAR** page and enter a search term, then **Search**.

* The search is free text and matches entry titles — try `ribosome`, `cryo-ET`, or a protein name.
* Results show **Title**, **Type**, and **Files**, with the entry accession and release date under each title.
* Use **Per page** to trade clicks for a longer page; the page count reflects the full result set.

## Select and import

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select entries">
    Tick the entries you want — click a row, or press Space or Enter on it, to toggle its checkbox. The header checkbox selects or clears everything on the current page; your selection is kept as you page through results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the destination project">
    Paste the UUID of the project that should own the new assets into the **Import into project** field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Import">
    Click **Import**. A single **Import result** panel summarizes how many entries were imported (and assets created), plus any that failed and why.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  EMPIAR datasets are large (often terabytes). **Download** opens the entry's data directory on EBI rather than streaming a single file — pick the specific images you need there. The files download anonymously over HTTPS directly from EMBL-EBI.
</Note>

<Warning>
  Because imported assets point at EMPIAR rather than your own storage, their data is only available while the EMPIAR entry is. If you need a durable copy under your control, download the files and [upload them](/data/upload) as regular assets instead.
</Warning>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Metadata-first assets" icon="file-plus" href="/data/metadata-first-assets">
    How assets that describe data elsewhere work in Dataerai.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import from Zenodo" icon="download" href="/data/import-zenodo">
    Pull public records from Zenodo the same metadata-first way.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organize into collections" icon="folder-tree" href="/organize/collections">
    Group imported entries alongside your own data.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Search & discover" icon="search" href="/discover/search">
    Find imported entries by title, type, and metadata.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>