Free-to-use e-course and serious game on biobanking for non-biobankers – launched by the SCIBIOEU project and presented each partner including Med Uni Graz/BBMRI.at

SCIBIOEU – an Erasmus+ KA2 project

SCIBIOEU (“SCIence outreach: The example of BIObanks in Europe”) is an Erasmus+ KA2 project (Dec 2022–June 2025) that promotes science outreach about biobanking. It aimed to spark interest among students, early-career researchers, and the public by providing self-learning tools that explain the basics of biobanking.

The project addressed the current lack of awareness about biobanks, which rely on public trust and participation, and the need to prepares students and researchers — future users and collaborators of biobanks — to understand and communicate about biobanks and research using biobank as part of scientific outreach.

E-course and serious game on biobanking - developed by SCIBIOEU for non-biobankers 

To inspire interest and build knowledge in the field of biobanking, SCIBIOEU has developed two online tools supporting education and scientific outreach:

🎓 An interactive e-course on biobanking

The SCIBIOEU e-course introduces the fundamentals of biobanking and is primarily aimed at university students and early-career researchers. It helps build a foundational understanding of biobanking and prepares participants to communicate this knowledge effectively to the general public, to patients, and research participants.

While designed for those in the health and life sciences, the course is also valuable for participants from other fields — such as new employees but also for students from other fields (e.g. law or social science) who might work in the in the medical or biobanking sector. The course is meant for self-learning as well as for use by university lecturers who can easily integrate it into their teaching.

The e-course includes 8 engaging lessons:

1. General information about biobanks
2. How samples and sata ‘get’ into a biobank
3. Consent and biobanking
4. The need for sample quality & quality management in biobanking
5. Access to biobank samples and data
6. ELSI – Regulatory framework of biobanks
7. Technoethics – Ethical dilemmas in digital age & biobanking
8. Introducing biobank communication

Each lesson features video content, informative texts, and a self-assessment quiz to support independent learning.

🎮 A serious (but fun) game

The SCIBIOEU serious game is a 3D online adventure designed for the wider public. Players take on the role of a new intern at a biobank and explore various stages of the biobanking process, including:

1. Introduction to the biobank
2. Informed consent
3. Sample and data collection
4. Sample processing
5. Sample and data storage

At each stage, tasks must be completed and questions answered. An in-game Biobank AI-bot provides assistance and guidance throughout the experience.

Multiplier Events Conducted by All SCIBIOEU Partners

All SCIBIOEU partners from the five BBMRI-ERIC countries (Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, and Italy) officially presented the results of the project in June 2025.

The aim was to inform key potential users about the SCIBIOEU e-course and serious game, and to generate interest in their use. Both tools are available free of charge; only registration on the SCIBIOEU website is required.

To raise awareness of the tools and to inform stakeholders about their content, usage options, and access conditions, the SCIBIOEU partner countries organized dedicated “multiplier” events.

Both tools are freely accessible online and can be used in formal education settings or for self-paced learning.