European Life Science Research Infrastructures
What do LS RIs offer the life science community?
The 13 European Life Science Research Infrastructures (LS RIs) have the mission to support cutting-edge science by offering access to their resources and services to European scientists from academia and industry.
Resources and services can simply be consultation, access to experts, but also access to data and biological samples, use of data analysis tools, access to facilities (e.g. highly specialised microscopes) plus support from technicians and much more.
Some of these services are even free to use for institutions location in the RI's member states.
The Catalogue of Services, which has been developed within the CORBEL project, is the first tool to list the main services of all LS RIs at a glance and it aims to facilitate the utilisation of RI services by researchers from all over the world. The Catalogue of Services as displayed below aims to provide you a basic overview on existing services within distinct thematic fields.
You can either use the Catalogue of Services to identify a single RI to help you with your work or you can create a service pipeline, i.e. using several RIs simultaneously.
What’s your need?
Please select…
Samples
Data & Databases
Technologies & Facilities
- accreditated/certified facilities (ISO certified, GLP, GMP, GCP)
- adaptation / development of assays (compounds etc.)
- adaptation / development of assays (human/non-human samples)
- high-throughput screening
- imaging (biological)
- imaging (medical)
- isolation / cultivation / characterisation of microorganisms
- -omics technology platforms
- plant phenotyping technologies/facilities
- production of high quality protein samples
- structural biology technologies/software
Models & Tools
Expertise & Support
- biomarker validation
- biosecurity / biosafety (incl. regulatory) issues
- data management expertise
- development of project towards a medical application
- ethical / legal issues, informed consent
- innovation management support
- mouse model generation, phenotyping and cryopreservation
- multinational clinical trial (establishment / management / monitoring)
- outbreak / emergency response / epidemiology
- support to submit a project proposal
- systems biology expertise
- training courses
- The following RIs offer complementary services:
BBMRI-ERIC
Contact person(s): Eleanor Shember, Contact(a)bbmri-eric.eu
BBMRI-ERIC is a research infrastructure of biobanks and biomolecular resources. Our main goal is to provide expertise and services, advancing the use of European sample collections and its data for the benefit of human health. Our activities are on a non-economic basis and primarily intended for our member countries.
Services provided
BBMRI-ERIC delivers services to their member states in IT; Quality Management; ELSI; Biobanking Development; Public Affairs; and Outreach, Education and Communications.
- Key IT Services
- Directory (collecting information about biobanks and their sample/data collections)
- Negotiator (facilitating communication between researchers requesting samples/data
from biobanks)
- Bibbox (toolbox for biobanks, open-source software)
- MIABIS 2.0 (Community standard for sharing information about biobanks)
- Key Quality Management Services
- Knowledge Hub (Consulting on international standards relevant for biobanking and biomedical research; Quality management tasks in EU projects)
- Training & Support (In-house and online training, university courses, summer schools, short courses, workshops and consulting services covering various quality management systems relevant for biobanking and biomedical research )
- Auditing (The BBMRI-ERIC Self-Assessment Surveys (SAS) help to determine relevant requirements for work processes defined in international standards for biobanking and biomedical research)
- Audit programmes (Remote/on-site) (Quality check mark in Directory (assessment processes, including a remote or on-site audit, can lead to a Q-mark in the BBMRI-ERIC Directory))
- Key ELSI Services
- ELSI Helpdesk
- ELSI Knowledge Base
- Ethics Check
- ELSI Policy Monitoring
- Task Force Societal Issues
- Task Force GDPR
Costs
Services are free for those biobanks that are located in a member state.
For further information please contact us.
Access modes
Access can be on-site or online, dependent on the requested service.
For further information please contact us.
Why work with us
Reproducible data in research is key and in order to achieve that, you need high-quality samples and data as a starting point. BBMRI-ERIC enables biobanks to work with high-quality samples and associated data and supports controlled access to the wider research community, being a true gateway to health.
Countries involved
Members: AT, BE, BG, CZ, EE, FI, DE, GR, HU, IT, LV, ML, NL, NO, PL, SE, SL, UK
Observers: IARC/WHO, CH, CY, LT, SP, TR
Services contact
Contact person(s): Eleanor Shember, Contact(a)bbmri-eric.eu
About
BBMRI-ERIC aims to improve the accessibility and interoperability of the 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 attached data on factors such as health status, nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental exposure of the study subjects. In order to fully realize the enormous potential of European biobanks and biomolecular resources for the benefit of European citizens, clinical, ethical and legal experts, the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups are collaborating in a participatory governance model (Stakeholder's Forum). The aim is to achieve standards and guidelines that properly balance individual values, such as protection of privacy and informed consent, with shared values of facilitated access to progress in health care and disease prevention.
BBMRI-ERIC will increase efficacy and excellence of European bio-medical research by facilitating fair access to quality-defined human health/disease-relevant biological resources through the inclusion of associated data in an efficient and ethically and legally compliant manner; by reducing the fragmentation of the bio-medical research landscape through harmonisation of procedures, implementation of common standards and fostering high-level collaboration; and by capacity-building in countries with less developed biobanking communities thereby contributing to Europe's cohesion policy and strengthening the ERA.
The EU’s ageing population is resulting in an increase in many of those diseases and consequently an increased healthcare expenditure for senior citizens that place pressure on the sustainability and viability of the EU’s healthcare systems. Through BBMRI-ERIC, biobanks and biomolecular resources shall develop into one of the most important tools for biomedical and clinical discovery. New medical applications, new therapies, new preventive techniques, new diagnostics, personalised or stratified medicine, and new biomedical industries shall evolve to improve socio-economic competitiveness and increase possibilities for equitable healthcare in Europe. The anticipated development shall pave the way for a new research culture in Europe. Expectantly, BBMRI-ERIC will have an impact on partnerships with patients/donors, who know that their own tissues, samples and personal data can yield discoveries and advances in medicine, diagnostics, and therapies. In return, BBMRI-ERIC is taking up the responsibility to make sure that the samples and data that have been entrusted for research are used in the best way possible for the advancement of knowledge, ultimately contributing to improved health care.
The key benefits for users of BBMRI-ERIC are fair access to quality-controlled samples and/or data from population-based, disease-oriented or rare disease biobanks including expertise in handling these biological resources for scientific purposes (ethical, legal and societal issues as well as quality handling). BBMRI-ERIC connects a distributed research infrastructure of biobanks and biomolecular resources for the benefit of the users of such resources. It puts pan-European biobanks on the map and promotes their specific strengths. BBMRI increases the accessibility to quality controlled human biological samples and associated biomedical and biomolecular data in making them findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Ultimately, this is key for advancing stratified and precision medicine.
EATRIS-ERIC
Contact person(s): Florence Bietrix
EATRIS is the European infrastructure for translational medicine. The infrastructure brings together resources and services for research communities to translate scientific discoveries into benefits for patients.
Services provided
Services offered by EATRIS include
- support funding applications (Identification of partners for consortium building, assessment of the project plan's impact and innovation potential)
- translational research facilities and expertise for development of novel biomarkers, diagnostics and therapeutics
- molecular, functional & hybrid imaging technologies, preclinical models, samples, patient cohorts, GMP manufacturing
- regulatory and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) expertise
- advice on intellectual property issues and industry partnering strategy (innovation management)
Costs
Costs are calculated on a case by case basis depending on the service required; some services can also be provided as part of funding proposals with EATRIS joining consortia as partner or subcontractor.
For further information please contact us.
Access modes
Services performed can be offered either centrally by the coordination and support team based in Amsterdam or remotely by the EATRIS institutions.
Why work with us
Translating novel biology insights into effective interventions or medical applications is a highly complex process. It requires significant dedicated expertise, facilities and resources. We believe in your medical innovation and we want to support you by bringing together the multi-disciplinary expertise and infrastructure required for optimising your translational trajectory. Working with EATRIS gives greater confidence in the translational feasibility of your project and its impact.
Countries involved
FR, NL, CZ, HR, SE, NO, FI, IT, ES, SI, LU, LV, PO, BG
Services contact
Contact person(s): Florence Bietrix
About
EATRIS is the European infrastructure for translational medicine. The infrastructure brings together resources and services for research communities to translate scientific discoveries into benefits for patients.
EATRIS provides access to a vast array of pre-clinical and clinical expertise and facilities that are available within 115+ top-tier academic centres across Europe. The infrastructure focuses on improving and optimising preclinical and early clinical development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, and overcome barriers to health innovation.
The research infrastructure offers a broad range of research services for both academia and industry across various research fields. In addition, EATRIS works with public funding agencies, charities and policymakers with tailored actions to help improve the translational research and innovation ecosystem.
ECRIN-ERIC
Contact person(s): European Correspondent in your country, Christine Kubiak
ECRIN is a pan-European distributed infrastructure that links scientific partners across Europe to facilitate multinational clinical research. ECRIN provides sponsors and investigators with support for the development and implementation of multinational clinical trials.
Services provided
Services offered by ECRIN include
- information and advice for funding applications and preparation of multinational clinical trials (methodology, operational aspects, regulatory, ethics, contracting...)
- trial management operations (interaction with competent authorities & ethics committees, project management, monitoring, vigilance, data management)
- clinical trial tools (outcome measures, regulatory database, site locations, risk-based monitoring)
- data centre certification program (audits European, non-commercial data centres using ECRIN IT/DM standards, to confirm their ability to provide compliant, effective, and efficient data management services for controlled clinical trials)
Costs
Information and advice are free for ECRIN members. The cost of trial management services depends on the type of service requested. Data centre certification costs depend on the type of country membership.
Access modes
Users submit their proposal or request to ECRIN office; the access mode depends on proposal and needs. There are annual calls for data centre certification.
Why work with us
Difficulties in locating clinical trials units, fulfilling local legal, regulatory and ethical requirements, and coordinating multi-country clinical trial management deter many researchers from attempting multinational clinical trials. This means that most independent clinical trials are conducted in single centres, or multiple centres within one country. ECRIN provides a path through Europe's fragmented health and legal systems with its pan-European infrastructure that is designed to support multinational clinical research and unlock access to patients and medical expertise.
Countries involved
FR, DE, HU, IT, NO, ES, PT, CZ, IE
Observer: CH, SK, PL
Services contact
Contact person(s): European Correspondent in your country, Christine Kubiak
About
Since its creation in 2004, ECRIN has been working to help researchers overcome the challenges inherent to multinational clinical trials in Europe.
ECRIN focuses on academic-sponsored multinational clinical trials as well as clinical trials initiated by biotech and medical device small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It provides support to sponsors and investigator-initiated trials and helps them navigate Europe’s fragmented health and legal systems. Multi-country clinical trials mean greater access to patients, resources, and expertise, and, in turn, faster and potentially more robust results.
ECRIN’s organisational model is based on country membership. Each country has a European Correspondent, who manages the trial portfolio and coordinates with the national scientific hub (i.e. network of clinical trial units, CTUs) with support from the Paris-based Core Team.
ECRIN provides support for the preparation of multinational clinical trials (e.g. trial logistics, funding applications), the validation of study protocols (scientific and logistical review), and trial management (coordination, submissions to competent authorities and ethics committees; monitoring; adverse event reporting; data management). In support of these activities, it develops and maintains freely accessible tools such as databases on regulatory and ethical requirements, outcome measures, and risk-based monitoring.
ECRIN currently provides consultancy and management services to more than 40 trials, with an average of seven countries per trial.
In addition, ECRIN contributes to capacity building projects aiming to establish shared services in biomedical areas and to foster international cooperation in non-commercial trials.
Please note: Most of the RIs are constantly developing their portfolio of services, so if you do not find the service/tool you are looking for, do not hesitate to contact the RI and ask for it!