Graz, Austria: Montenegro, Portugal and Ukraine have been officially confirmed as Members and Observers of the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC). Portugal were approved as Member with Montenegro and Ukraine as Observers by the BBMRI-ERIC Assembly of Members during the summer.
BBMRI-ERIC’s Director General, Prof. Jens K. Habermann says:
“We are delighted to welcome Montenegro, Portugal and Ukraine to BBMRI-ERIC. The inclusion of these countries represents an important contribution to the continued growth and development of our infrastructure, strengthening collaboration and creating new opportunities for researchers across Europe. This will further advance our mission to facilitate access to high-quality samples, data and biomolecular resources and support scientific advancements in health and life sciences.”
Montenegro’s profile
Montenegro will be represented in the Assembly of Members by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation. Montenegro has established a strategic, legal and ethical framework that supports biomedical research, biobanking and integration into the European Research Area and European research infrastructures. Its vision is to establish a sustainable, accessible and internationally connected biobanking ecosystem that supports excellence in biomedical research and contributes to the European Research Area.
Discussing Montenegro’s participation in BBMRI-ERIC and its integration into the European Research Area, Ms. Tatjana Ćalasan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, says:
“Montenegro’s participation in BBMRI-ERIC represents an important step in further integrating our research and innovation system into the European Research Area. By joining this European Research Infrastructure, we are creating new opportunities for our institutions and researchers to cooperate with leading European partners, access knowledge and expertise, and contribute more actively to internationally competitive research in the life sciences.”
Highlighting Montenegro’s strengths and opportunities in biobanking, Dr. Masa Zdralevic, Montenegro’s National Node Director explains:
“Montenegro’s key strength lies in the opportunity to develop an integrated national biobanking ecosystem, supported by close links between healthcare, research and public institutions. Particular emphasis is being placed on cancer biobanking, standardised biospecimen collection and processing, and the integration of biological samples with clinical, demographic and molecular data. These capacities provide a strong foundation for translational and precision medicine research and, through BBMRI-ERIC, for increasing the interoperability, visibility and scientific value of Montenegro’s biological resources within the European Research Area.”
Portugal’s profile
Portugal will be represented in the Assembly of Members by the AICIB – Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica. AICIB’s strategic priorities are to strengthen Portugal’s competitiveness in clinical research, develop clinical research capabilities and enhance Portugal’s international positioning.
Reflecting on the value of being part of BBMRI-ERIC and on how this will enhance the national life sciences strategy, Dr. Miguel Farinha-Ferreira, Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (AICIB), says:
“Joining BBMRI-ERIC as a full member is a strategic milestone for Portugal. It gives our national biobanking community access to specialised services and established European best practices in quality, ethics and data governance, which would take years to build alone. Just as importantly, it means we can offer something distinctive back to the international community, including collections representative of populations of particular interest to Portugal, such as underrepresented communities and populations from Portuguese-speaking African countries.”
Describing the key strengths of the Portuguese national community, Dr. Sérgio Dias, Portugal’s National Node Co-Director explains:
“The Portuguese Biobank network is diverse, encompassing disease-focused collections including rare diseases, oncological and neurological diseases, longitudinal population-based collections and samples collected from healthy donors. Access to populations of heterogenous ethnic and genetic backgrounds is an important asset of the Portuguese biobank network, as is the expertise in biospecimen management, quality assurance, data governance, ethics and regulatory compliance, as well as close links with hospitals, universities and research institutions.
“This diversity creates an excellent basis for multidisciplinary collaboration and for further developing areas such as One Health, by connecting human, animal and environmental research and accompanying biobanking initiatives.”
Ukraine’s profile
Ukraine will be represented in the Assembly of Members by the Ministry of Health. The Ukrainian Association of Research Biobanks (UARB) was established in 2021 as a national coordinated network of research biobanks in Ukraine, with the aim of strengthening biomedical research, clinical innovation and international collaboration. For Ukraine, it strengthens national biomedical research, supports healthcare innovation and enhances international competitiveness. At the European level, it supports the European research ecosystem, cross-border collaboration and global health and security.
Mr. Anton Lebediev, Head of the Transplantation and Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, confirms:
“For Ukraine, joining BBMRI-ERIC as an Observer country will support the development of a modern national life sciences strategy based on quality, interoperability, ethical governance and international collaboration. Strengthening biobanking and biomolecular resources will contribute to better biomedical research, more evidence-based healthcare policy and the development of innovative approaches in diagnostics, prevention and treatment.”
Dr. Bohdana Shkurupii, Ukraine’s National Node Director, shares:
“The true strength of a biobanking community lies not only in the quality of its samples, but also in the connections forged between the people and institutions behind them. As we develop our national network in Ukraine, our priority is to build a collaborative community capable of sharing expertise, establishing common standards and unlocking our scientific potential. By uniting biobanks, clinical institutions and researchers, we are laying the foundation for sustainable biomedical research and creating a vital pillar for rebuilding our research infrastructure.
“This emerging, coordinated network represents a powerful pathway towards deeper integration into the European and global research ecosystems, positioning Ukraine as a reliable and high-potential partner capable of contributing to future scientific breakthrough.”
ENDS
About BBMRI-ERIC
BBMRI-ERIC is the European research infrastructure (RI) for biobanking and biomolecular resources, one of the largest RIs in the health and life sciences. Set up in 2013, it includes around 500 biobanks within 29 Nodes from 28 Member and Observer countries plus the global organisation IARC/WHO.
A distributed research infrastructure, BBMRI-ERIC enables the development of innovative technology and processes as a cross-domain network that facilitates responsible access to high quality samples, data and biomolecular resources. We achieve this through multidisciplinary expertise and service provision, scientific excellence, knowledge exchange and partnerships in health and life sciences. BBMRI-ERIC’s vision is simplified as: “Biobanking for a Healthier World”. Its headquarters are in Graz, Austria.
BBMRI-ERIC Members: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
BBMRI-ERIC Observers: Denmark, IARC/WHO, Montenegro, Qatar, Türkiye and Ukraine.