Strengthening BLUES through Europe Biobank Week Insights

Between 19 and 22 May 2026, we were in Prague, taking part in the Europe Biobank Week, a massive event that reunited more than 700 delegates across 49 countries. Our colleagues at Møreforsking were the ones who joined the event on our behalf, connecting with researchers and industry, and translating all these insights into concrete steps to be taken in the project! 

Recently, we have advanced our work on standardising metadata files and have begun identifying the most suitable culture collections for the deposiiton of microbial isolates and cell cultures. Miroslava Atanassova presented some of these discoveries in her poster. 

In parallel, we have also closely followed the developments in the MICROBE Horizon Europe project, particularly regarding emerging best practices for the efficient storage and management of complex microbiota samples. 

At the event, our colleagues talked to international experts on sample viability and preservations, discussions which proved particularly valuable, informing the development of a more robust strategy for our internal institutional collection. This collection spans multiple research initiatives and includes a wide diversity of biological materials, which means that harmonised approaches become especially important. 

Last but not least, this conference was an excellent opportunity to make new connections with researchers from all over Europe. We hope that these interactions will serve as a strong foundation for future collaboration. Beyond the scientific exchange, this time spent in Prague helped to strengthen our engagement within the biobanking community.