The Biobanking and BioMolecular resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI) is one of the largest Research Infrastructures for biobanking in Europe. BBMRI brings together main players from the biobanking field – researchers, biobankers, industry, and patients – to boost biomedical research and ultimately to make new treatments possible. BBMRI improves the accessibility and interoperability of existing comprehensive collections, either population-based or clinical-oriented, of biological samples from different (sub-)populations of Europe or rare diseases. These collections include the associated data on factors such as health status, nutrition, lifestyle and environmental exposure of the study subjects. BBMRI also offers quality management services and support with ethical, legal and societal issues.

Entered the ESFRI Roadmap 2006, BBMRI was established as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) in 2013. The agreement among 17 Members and 5 Observers, including one International Organisation (WHO/IARC), enabled the integration of biobanks/biological resource centres/collections at National Nodes to setup a pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure. BBMRI ERIC is a key Europe-wide resource to access to quality-defined human disease-relevant biological samples and associated data in an efficient as well as ethically and legally compliant manner. It is continuously expanding its membership and building partnerships with biobanks, as well as patient organisations and industry to foster personalised medicine and disease prevention for the benefit of European citizens.