Networks
Belgian Virtual Tumourbank (BVT)
In March 2008, Minister L. Onkelinx launched the Belgian National Cancer Plan to promote translational research and collaboration between Belgian oncology researchers. To this end, one initiative (action 27) was aimed at creating a Belgian Virtual Tumor Library in collaboration with the Cancer Registry.
Its aim is to centralize data associated with residual human body material stored in Belgian biobanks. 11 biobanks participate in this network, including the Biothèque Hospitalo-Universitaire de Liège.
An anonymized version of this virtual database is accessible to research groups, enabling them to trace samples of interest to their projects.
http://virtualtumourbank.kankerregister.be
BBMRI-ERIC(Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure - European Research Infrastructure Consortium)
This project to network biobanks at European level also aims to share stored material between all European researchers. The BBMRI network was officially launched in September 2013, and Belgium is one of the founding members of this European infrastructure.
The BHUL is part of the Belgian biobank network BBMRI.be, itself integrated into the European network BBMRI.eu.
The mission of these networks is to maintain the Belgian infrastructure in line with international standards of quality and connectivity, and also to stimulate the valorization of biobank collections and promote translational research.
