The University of Bologna is contributing to the Strengthening BBMRI.it, a Recovery Plan project that focuses on strengthening the Italian National Node of the European Research Infrastructure for Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources (BBMRI-ERIC), stated as one of the most important of the country in the National Research Infrastructure Plan (PNIR) 2021-2027. The project’s recent achievements were presented during the second National Biobanks Day 2024 in Bologna.
Two hundred attendees, including biobankers, researchers, experts, patient representatives, companies and the general public, gathered at the DAMSLab to showcase the results of an intense year of efforts aimed at improving the services provided by both BBMRI.it and individual research biobanks.
The event focused on the quality of research based on next-generation biobanking. Thanks to technological and digital innovations, which enable increasingly advanced molecular characterisation of biological samples, its governance turns into a collaborative process of research co-creation.
The team of the University of Bologna is coordinated by Professor Patrizia Brigidi, project leader and head of the Human Microbiome Laboratory at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), and by Professor Monica Forni, WP leader and Quality Manager lead of BBMRI.it. The group focuses on setting up the UNIBO Microbiome Biobank, dedicated to the collection and molecular characterisation of human microbiome samples and set to become operational in 2025, as well as the training programmes for both internal and external specialists.
The University of Bologna has prioritised targeted trainings by launching a joint Professional Master’s programme titled “Research Biobanks in the Scientific Ecosystem”, in collaboration with the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO).
Starting in the 2024/2025 academic year, the programme will provide comprehensive knowledge about biobanking, including quality and data management, ethical, social and legal issues (ELSI), and biobank setup procedures.
At the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to experience biobank workflows through an internship at one of the BBMRI.it network biobanks, funded by the upcoming UniBo call “Young Researcher Training Award.”
The BBMRI.it project supports better diagnosis and treatment of multifactorial diseases by promoting biobank digitalisation and by strengthening the collection of biological resources in European and national catalogues.
These topics will be further explored during the Europe Biobank Week, the most important international event on biobanks, organised by the BBMRI-ERIC in collaboration with ESBB and to be held in Bologna from 13 to 16 May 2025.
