The Central Biobank of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Münster (ZBB-MFM), a partner biobank in the German Biobank Network (GBN), is one of eight European biobanks selected for targeted funding as part of the EvolveBBMRI project. The funding will support the biobanks in connecting to the BBMRI-ERIC Federated Platform, thereby making their collections more discoverable and accessible for European research.
The selected biobanks were nominated by the National Nodes and chosen on the basis of criteria such as data quality, technical infrastructure, scientific relevance and strategic importance. As part of the funding, they will harmonise their sample and metadata in accordance with international standards – including HL7 FHIR – and prepare them for integration into the platform. The aim is to make biobank resources available for scientific use in a manner that complies with data protection regulations, is standardised and is interoperable.
The selection of the Münster Biobank underlines the high level of expertise of the GBN partners in establishing interoperable biobank infrastructures and their important contribution to the European research landscape.
The GBN itself also plays a central role in the EvolveBBMRI project. The GBN is leading the work package on the further development of the IT infrastructure, thereby supporting the expansion of the digital foundations for European biobank networking. Furthermore, GBN is heavily involved in the work packages on communication and training, helping to further strengthen knowledge exchange and networking within the European biobanking community.
The EvolveBBMRI project aims to strengthen the European biobanking infrastructure, BBMRI-ERIC, in the long term. The focus is on the digitisation of biobanks and biomolecular resources, sustainability, capacity building and the strategic further development of the Research Infrastructure in order to provide sustainable support for biomedical research in Europe.