Eight biobanks selected for funding in EvolveBBMRI to be integrated into BBMRI-ERIC’s Federated Platform

BBMRI-ERIC is pleased to announce the selection of eight biobanks for dedicated funding under the EvolveBBMRI project. This is a significant step forward in strengthening Europe’s biobanking landscape and enhancing the discoverability and access to high-quality biosamples and associated data through the BBMRI-ERIC Federated Platform. 

Following a competitive call for interest, the biobanks were nominated by their National Nodes and evaluated against rigorous criteria, including data readiness, technical infrastructure, scientific relevance, and alignment with BBMRI-ERIC’s strategic objectives. The selected biobanks will receive targeted support to onboard their metadata resources to the Federated Platform, increasing the visibility and accessibility of their biobank collections for research. 

The selected biobanks are: 

• MedUni Wien Biobank (Austria)   

• Swiss Biobanking (Switzerland)

• IMIB Biobank (Spain) 

• BIOBANCO LA FE (Spain)

• Biobank of the Aragon Health System (BSSA, Spain)

• Latvian National Biobank – Genome Database of the Latvian Population (Latvia) 

• Chirurgia Generale 3 – Tumor Tissue Biobank (Italy) 

• Central Biobank of the Medical Faculty of the University of Münster (ZBB-MFM, Germany)

These biobanks will play a key role in implementing task 1.3 (part of WP1 – Acceleration of datafication of biobanks and biomolecular resources to enable reproducible advanced medical research) of the EvolveBBMRI project, which focuses on supporting onboarding to the BBMRI-ERIC Federated Platform and expanding its capabilities. The selected biobanks will prepare and harmonise sample-related clinical and research metadata according to international standards such as HL7 FHIR and OMOP CDM. This will ensure that biobank resources can be consistently described and accessed in a privacy-preserving manner. 

Each of the selected biobanks will benefit from financial support of up to €50,000, provided they successfully complete onboarding and demonstrate sustained commitment to maintaining and updating their information within the Federated Platform. 

About the EvolveBBMRI project 

The EvolveBBMRI project, launched as BBMRI-ERIC marked its 10-year anniversary, is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability and strategic evolution of Europe’s largest research infrastructure for biobanking. Through its four thematic pillars – datafication, greening, sustainability, and capacity building – the project is strengthening the role of biobanks in advancing scientific excellence, supporting EU policy priorities, and fostering innovation in health research.