What is most likely to convince you to have biosamples for your research processed in a biobank, or to store or obtain biosamples from a biobank? Why did you decide against using a biobank’s services in the past? In an anonymous online survey, the German Biobank Node (GBN) and German Biobank Alliance (GBA) asked these and other questions of “potential biobank users” – i.e. researchers who have not cooperated with a biobank before. The quantitative survey was conducted at seven GBA sites between December 2018 and May 2019, with the participation of more than 280 researchers from the medical faculties based there. Further GBA biobanks are currently preparing the survey.

The survey above all provides valuable insights into why respondents have not yet cooperated with a biobank. Thus 49% of researchers stated that they did not know at all what their hospital’s biobank had to offer. When asked about the origin of the samples used in past research projects, 42% stated that they had collected them themselves.

To be a success, biobanks must continuously improve their services and adapt these to their users’ needs. One of the insights gained in the survey is that there is a lack of information on the subject of biobanking. However, the survey not only allows insights such as these. It is also a first step towards boosting awareness of the biobanks at their sites among the researchers surveyed. This will in turn help to intensify national and international scientific cooperation.

The detailed survey findings will be published soon.