#EBW25 Live: Closing ceremony
The Europe Biobank Week (EBW) Congress, jointly organised between BBMRI-ERIC (the European Research Infrastructure for Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources in Health and Life Science) and ESBB (the European, African and Middle Eastern Society for Biopreservation and Biobanking) officially closed at Palazzo dei Congressi in Bologna, Italy on 16 May 2025.
This year’s Congress united over 800 biobankers, researchers, industry specialists, and decision-makers from 47 countries across the life sciences to discuss the latest innovative research and industry developments.
Prof. Jens K. Habermann, Director General at BBMRI-ERIC and Dipl.-Ing. Roland Leiminger, President ESBB chaired the closing ceremony and award session.
#EBW26
It was announced, to great applause, that the congress will take place at the Prague Convention Centre from 19-22 May. Will you join us?
Awards in full
Poster Award winners – Awards sponsored by Fondazione Alma Mater
- Archipelago of Ovarian Cancer Research; a Dutch nationwide IT infrastructure and biobank for ovarian cancer – by Marlou Heeling, Mignon D.J.M. van Gent – Amsterdam University Medical Centre
- Rare diseases collection in BBMRI.bg for diagnostics and personalized medicine in Bulgaria – Daniela Kostova, Kunka Kamenarova, Kalina Mihova, Darina Kachakova-Jordanova et al – Molecular Medicine Center, Laboratory of GenomicDiagnostics, Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University
- BBMRI-ERIC Academy: New ERA for biobanking training – Stella Antoniou, Eleanor Shember, Nadja Palko, Andrea Wutte – BBMRI-ERIC
- EULAT Eradicate GBC: Building a unique Biorepository and IT platform towards Eradication of Preventable Gallbladder Cancer – Kirsten, R, Scherer, D, Barahona Ponce, C, Colombo, A, Donoso, G, Bermejo J. L., Integrated Biobank Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University
Best Oral Presentation Awards
- 3B: Biobanks in big data research and AI – Johanna Mäkelä, PhD, FINBB – Federated research infrastructure: Interoperable trusted research environments for researchers by biobanks
- 8D: Connecting forces: Effective stakeholder management – Dr, Eric Vermeulen, BBMRI-ERIC Stakeholder Forum: Patient and Citizens’ Pillar – Guidance for public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in biobanking
- 10B: Ensuring excellence: Elevating data quality in biobanking – Roger Snijder, Leiden University Medical Center – FISMA for high quality and interoperable real-world data on Dystrophinopathies – Fair from the start: From concept to reality
- 7B: Bernard Zatloukal and Werner Strasser, FragmentiX Storage Solutions – Quantum proofing your data: the future of cybersecurity for biobanks and scientific data
- 385: Leveraging Open-Source Solutions for Biobanking: Implementing GRIST for Sample and Data Management – Markus Ulrich, Anup Kumar Raha, Dominic Bläsing
- 249: Stepwise Quality Engagement: A Pan-European Collaborative Approach to Advancing ISO 20387 Implementation
Poster Award sponsored by Azenta Life Sciences
- 256 iPSC Factory: an automated cell factory for the production of iPSC
Pitch your innovative idea winner – sponsored by LVL technologies GmbH&co. KG
Applications of post-mortem biospecimens in biomedical research on pediatric rare diseases by Mariona Arañó, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona
QM Award winners
- BBMRI.de, Hannover Unified Biobank
- BBMRI.de, Integrated Biobank Jena
- BBMRI.de, NCT Tissue Bank Heidelberg
- BBMRI.no, Department of Biobanks – NIPH
- BBMRI.pl, Biobank Łukasiewicz – PORT
BBMRI-ERIC Appreciation
- Michael Hummel, BBMRI Germany
- Andres Metspalu, BBMRI Estonia
- Olli Carpen, BBMRI Finland
- Philippe Desmeth, BBMRI Belgium
- Richard Stephens, Former Chair of the Stakholder Forum Patient Pillar