SCIBIOEU was an Erasmus+ KA2-funded project in Higher Education, completed to address the limited public awareness and understanding of biobanking. Since biobanking relies on the donation of biological samples and data for research without donors knowing their specific use, trust, transparency, and engagement with society are essential. SCIBIOEU aimed to bridge communication gaps, foster scientific literacy, and strengthen dialogue between researchers and the public.
SCIBIOEU produced three main outputs:
- The SCIBIOEU e-course on Biobanking (training.scibioeu.eu), an 8-lesson online course designed for young scientists and life sciences students, covering key topics from biobank basics to ethical, legal, and social issues, explained in an accessible but scientifically accurate way.
- “Biobank Adventures” (training.scibioeu.eu/game/), a serious game for the general public, aiming to simplify biobanking concepts, correct misconceptions, and raise awareness through gamified learning.
- The “SCIBIOEU Handbook for Science Outreach” (https://scibioeu.eu/documents-results/), a digital guide with lessons learned during the project and practical advice for researchers planning similar initiatives.
The consortium included four universities (Medical University of Graz, University of Turku, University of Cyprus, University of West Attica) and three research institutes (EURAC Research, NCSR Demokritos, and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, the project’s coordinator), under the scientific direction of the CEO of the Digital Health Literacy & Policy Hub Foundation Inc. Dr. Olga Tzortzatou-Nanopoulou.
Disclaimer / Attribution
This material was developed under SCIBIOEU, funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 2022-1-EL01-KA220-HED-000088145), during the tenure of Dr. Tzortzatou Nanopoulou as as Principal Investigator at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens. It is shared here by the Digital Health Literacy & Policy Hub Foundation Inc. solely for the purpose of knowledge dissemination and public benefit.