BBMRI.fi
Finland (Member)

Contact:

Tom Southerington, MSc, LLM (Interim National Node Director)

Website: https://finbb.fi/en/

BBMRI.fi is the Finnish node of BBMRI-ERIC. BBMRI.fi is managed and coordinated by Finnish Biobank Cooperative -FINBB. BBMRI.fi operates under collaboration between the establishing partners of FINBB -the state, six universities, six of the largest hospital districts and the biobanks therein: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and University of Helsinki (Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine; FIMM), Hospital District of Southwest Finland and University of Turku, Pirkanmaa Hospital District and University of Tampere, Hospital District of Northern Savo and University of Eastern Finland, Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District and University of Oulu, Central Finland Health Care District and University of Jyväskylä and Finnish Red Cross Blood Service. BBMRI.fi aims to create a harmonised, efficient and internationally leading biobank infrastructure providing strategic support to Finnish biomedical research, healthcare, and biomedical industry.

The ongoing operations of BBMRI.fi include:

• Build a National network of biobanks and serve as a link with BBMRI-ERIC, BBMRI Nordic, European BBMRI National Nodes and Finnish biobanks
• Maintain the leadership of Finnish scientists in the area of population biobanks by promoting access to population biobanks, offering tools for harmonisation of data and samples and participating in international biobank projects
• Support building the clinical biobanking efforts into the international forefront serving as a forum to build and pilot the operating model for clinical biobanks and harmonisation of clinical data and samples.
• Collaborate with national biomedical analysis services and other ESFRIs
• Build a national biobank IT infrastructure serving biobanks, researchers, sample donors, and authorities
• Continue to provide infrastructure guidance and services regarding sample collection, processing, storage and aliquoting for omics analyses. Coordinate standard operating procedures and quality control.
• Provide ethical and legal services to the national biobank community
• Promote public awareness of the potential of biobanking in biomedical research, advancement of population health and personalised medicine