A year filled with collaborative efforts and joint successes: BBMRI-ERIC’s 2023 Annual Report

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BBMRI-ERIC is proud to share its 2023 Annual Report that documents continued focus on three main themes: sustainability, community, and collaboration. This heralded the second year of our three-year work programme fostering community engagement among our Member States and stakeholders and enabling significant advancements within the health and life sciences. You can read the full Annual report here as an interactive flip-book: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/321324e2ba.html

Increasing Sustainability

Autumn 2023 marked the start of BBMRI-ERIC’s 10th anniversary activities including intensified engagement with Member States, ministries and National Nodes through interactive workshops. These workshops kicked off a jointly developed strategic roadmap for the infrastructure’s next decade, ensuring alignment with National Nodes and fostering greater community engagement and collaboration with stakeholders.

Strengthening Community

BBMRI continued its educational efforts with accredited Quality Management training and ELSI Dialogues, while hosting an IT focused Europe Biobank Week Roadshow in Innsbruck. Preparations were made for the Europe Biobank Week Congress in May 2024 in Vienna, the first in-person meeting since the pandemic. BBMRI strengthened collaborations with the EU-AMRI Alliance, ELIXIR, EORTC and ESBB while forming new partnerships as part of Life Science Research Infrastructures. BBMRI further grew by welcoming the biobanking communities from Denmark and Qatar as Observers. Cyprus, Lithuania and Switzerland stepped up from Observer to full Member status. BBMRI-ERIC thus currently comprises 24 Member States and Observers and one international organisation (IARC/WHO).

Leading Collaboration

BBMRI-ERIC launched the ERIC Forum 2 project, connecting all ERICs and enhancing the structure of the European Research Area (ERA). Further, BBMRI-ERIC continued its coordinating role in the canSERV project, which contributes to the acceleration of transnational research in line with the EU Cancer Mission Board recommendations. In two newly granted projects, BBMRI-ERIC took leading roles in advancing future developments of our wider infrastructure (Evolve-BBMRI) and conceptualising how to leverage accessibility and use of large medical cohorts (INTEGRATE-LMedC) – both projects launched in 2024.

Highlights from our Headquarters

The BBMRI-ERIC Headquarters in Graz hosts tightly collaborative departments that provide support and knowledge for the whole network. In our 2023 report we document their key achievements and developments throughout the year.

BBMRI-ERIC’s HQ departments.

Our Common Service IT department serves as a cornerstone for enhancing the technological infrastructure and digital capabilities of BBMRI-ERIC. In 2023, Common Service IT achieved significant advancements across various areas, platforms and tools including Directory, MIABIS and Negotiator, standardisation initiatives, infrastructure developments and involvement in flagship projects.

Our Ethical, Legal and Societal Implications (ELSI) Services & Research department plays a crucial role in advancing understanding and support for ethical, legal, and societal implications in the life sciences. By building and leveraging a highly multidisciplinary network of experts, the department provides comprehensive guidance and support to various stakeholders, including researchers and biobanks. In 2023, ELSI Services & Research provided significant multidisciplinary expertise, knowledge generation and transfer, practical experts guidance and the ELSI Helpdesk network.

Our Quality Management (QM) department ensures that biobanks operate in accordance with European and international standards, enhancing the quality and reliability of biobanking processes. In 2023, QM established audit procedures and facilitated knowledge sharing within the biobanking community. The department continued providing expertise to EU projects, fostered activities on quality standard developments and closely interacted with the BBMRI-ERIC quality community to strengthen joint efforts.

Our Biobanking Development (BBD) department is essential for fostering collaboration between biobanks, industry, and research institutions. It focuses on increasing engagement with stakeholders, developing educational programmes, and supporting EU projects to enhance biobank operations. In 2023, BBD was involved in the Stakeholder Forum, participated in various EU projects (canSERV, CY-Biobank, ISIDORe), supported National Nodes, new Member States and Observers and intensified community engagement with BBD’s first education series.

Our Outreach, Education, and Communications (OEC) department is vital in expanding the reach and engagement of BBMRI-ERIC with its biobanking community, stakeholders and the public. The growing team continued to expand and refine in-house production capabilities to better serve and amplify National Nodes, biobanks and our wider community. Improvements included standardising BBMRI’s image and event presentation, adding to and extending the value of QM and ELSI training through captioned videos and podcasts, increasing the pace and quality of social media content, focusing news articles on highlighting BBMRI’s achievements to a variety of stakeholders. OEC produces and tells rich community stories related to the core BBMRI-ERIC scientific services. The result constitutes deeper engagement that enhances visibility and recognisability.

Our Public Affairs (PA) department plays a crucial role in enhancing BBMRI’s influence and collaboration within the European research landscape. In 2023, the department focused on strengthening relationships with Member States, engaging key stakeholders, and expanding its membership base to better serve the biobanking community. Great progress was made in the collaborative work towards BBMRI-ERIC’s 10-Year Roadmap, the Stakeholder Forum – Patients & Citizens Pillar and the ERIC Forum.

Our Finance and Project management (Finance/PM) department is continuously working to allow smooth processing of the almost 30 long-term projects, BBMRI-ERIC was leading or contributing to in 2023. Two new projects (EvolveBBMRI and Integrate-LMedC) were granted in 2023 and launched in beginning of 2024.

Get to know our National Nodes

The 2023 Annual report is packed with highlights from all 24 BBMRI-ERIC Member States, Observers and the IARC/WHO. You will find out who acts as coordinating National Node in each country and learn about their key areas of expertise and highlights in 2023. Come and meet our National Nodes!

BBMRI-ERIC’s Members and Observers.

The full Annual report as interactive flipbook: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/321324e2ba.html