Building a Network of Biobanks and Biological Resource Centres Across Portuguese-Speaking Countries: Collaborative Efforts for Global Sustainability

Biobanks and Biological Resources Centres (BRCs) are pivotal infrastructures in biomedical, biotechnological, and environmental research, providing resources for fostering innovation in a healthy, global, and sustainable society.
Most of biobanks and BRCs are located in North America and Europe. In Africa, significant consortia have been established but none of them encompassing the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Furthermore, Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) still lack capacity, infrastructure, regulations and trained human resources, for effectively biobank samples. Nonetheless, certain institutions have initiated the establishment of biological collections, while others have expressed a keen interest in doing so. Consequently, a significant demand emerges for the exchange of experiences related to capacity building, training, and expertise in establishing biological collections. Such collaborative efforts hold the potential to invigorate local activities, foster knowledge dissemination, and contribute to the equitable sharing of benefits. This, in turn, empowers these nations to preserve and safeguard their unique biodiversity resources.
The implementation of a "Lusophone Network of Biobanks and Biological Resources Centres" is currently in progress to address this need. The inaugural meeting of this network occurred last April at IHMT NOVA in Lisbon, bringing together representatives from 15 institutions from Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, and Portugal. The diversity in terms of developmental stages, existing infrastructure, strategies, programs, funding sources, and governance policies among institutions and countries was clearly evident. Several thematic areas associated with biobanking activities and infrastructure were introduced, setting the stage for future collective reflection and discussion. This network aims to yield not only immediate advantages such as enhanced data management and standardisation of operating procedures and information systems across biobanks and BRCs, in the frame of ethical guidelines, but also the potential for future collaborative trans-biobank studies.