A new publication from the German Biobank Network (GBN) has been released in the journal “Biopreservation and Biobanking”: “Strategic Planning as a Community Effort: Surveying the Perspectives of Members of the German Biobank Alliance.”
Value of membership
The study is based on a survey of members of the German Biobank Alliance (GBA) and explores their perspectives on collaboration within the network as well as their expectations for its future direction. The results show that membership in the network is considered highly valuable – particularly due to opportunities for professional exchange, networking, and the support provided by GBN in the areas of quality management and training. Overall, the benefits of collaboration were rated significantly higher than the associated effort.
Key future topics
Participants identified quality assurance, training and education, networking, and the sustainable financing of biobanks as key priorities for the future. These themes will directly inform the strategic development of the network and shape its activities in the coming years.
From GBA to GBN
In the paper, the former name German Biobank Alliance (GBA) is still used, as the survey was conducted prior to the renaming. Since mid-2025, and with the integration into the Network of University Medicine (NUM), GBN and GBA have been operating jointly under the name German Biobank Network to highlight their close collaboration more clearly.
Further information and link:
- Klingler C, Schiller J, Huth V, Baber R, Kirsten R, Specht C. Strategic Planning as a Community Effort: Surveying the Perspectives of Members of the German Biobank Alliance. Biopreservation and Biobanking. Ahead of print. Volume 00, Number 00, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/19475535251366754
