The beginning of the Spanish Type Culture Collection (CECT) goes back to 1960, when the Prof. Dr. J.R. Villanueva began to collect and keep microbial strains in his laboratory at the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid. In 1968 it moved to the University of Salamanca and, from there to the University of País Vasco (1974) in Bilbao. In 1977 the CECT joined the World Federation on Culture Collections (WFCC) and in 1983 the European Culture Collections' Organization (ECCO). Since 1980 it is located in the University of Valencia, becoming a service of that University in 1991. In 1992 it obtained recognition as an International Depositary Authority for storing microorganisms for patent purposes in accordance with the Budapest Treaty (IDA).Currently, the CECT continues to be the only official collection of microorganisms of public nature in Spain that keeps and supplies bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts. It is evolving to become a Microbial Resource Centre (Biological Resource Centre for Microorganisms) in accordance to OECD guidelines.