CORBEL · Project

One-Stop Access to Europe's Life Science Labs, Data, and Biobanks for Faster Drug Development

healthTestedTRL 5Thin data (2/5)

Imagine you need to develop a new medicine, but the samples are in one country, the imaging equipment in another, and the patient data in a third — and each place has different paperwork, different data formats, and different rules. CORBEL connected 46 organizations across 12 countries so researchers can access biobanks, screening labs, and animal testing facilities through a single coordinated system. Think of it like a universal travel adapter, but for life science research infrastructure. Instead of negotiating separately with each facility, scientists get one entry point, one data standard, and one set of ethical guidelines.

By the numbers

Partner organizations coordinated across the consortium

Countries connected through unified research infrastructure access

EUR 14,837,800

EU investment in building coordinated life-science services

Total deliverables produced covering data tools, access systems, and training

Industry partner in consortium (2% industry ratio)

The business problem

What needed solving

Biomedical research today requires resources scattered across multiple institutions and countries — biobank samples here, imaging facilities there, molecular screening somewhere else. Each facility has its own access procedures, data formats, and legal requirements, creating massive coordination overhead that slows down drug discovery and translational research.

The solution

What was built

CORBEL produced 43 deliverables including: a transnational open user access web-portal, a toolkit for community ontology mapping, a prototype distributed system for automated data access request and authorization, ELSI guidance in help-desk format for cross-border research, modular training curricula for research infrastructure staff, and robust data upload procedures for biosample and molecular profiling data.

Audience

Who needs this

Mid-size pharma and biotech companies running multi-site European preclinical studiesContract research organizations coordinating cross-border translational researchHealth data integration companies building interoperability platformsBiobank networks seeking standardized data management and access proceduresResearch infrastructure operators needing ethical-legal compliance frameworks

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical & Biotech

mid-size

Target: Mid-size pharma or biotech companies running multi-site preclinical studies

If you are a biotech company struggling to coordinate biobank samples, molecular screening, and imaging across multiple European facilities — CORBEL developed a unified access portal and standardized data upload procedures that let you plan and execute cross-disciplinary research from a single entry point. The project built tools across 46 partner organizations in 12 countries, meaning your team spends less time on administrative coordination and more time on actual drug discovery.

Contract Research Organizations (CROs)

mid-size

Target: CROs offering multi-site preclinical and translational research services

If you are a CRO managing translational research projects that require resources from biobanks, imaging facilities, and molecular screening centers simultaneously — CORBEL created a distributed automated data access request and authorization system that simplifies cross-border data sharing. With 43 deliverables covering everything from ontology mapping to ethical-legal guidance, you can offer clients faster turnaround on complex multi-infrastructure studies.

Health Data Management

SME

Target: Companies building platforms for clinical or research data integration

If you are a health data company dealing with incompatible data formats across research institutions — CORBEL delivered a toolkit for community ontology mapping and robust data upload procedures for biosample and molecular profiling data. These tools address the exact interoperability problems that slow down data aggregation across 12 countries and 46 organizations, giving you tested standards to build upon.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access the tools and services CORBEL developed?

CORBEL was funded with EUR 14,837,800 in EU contribution and focused on building open-access infrastructure. The project established transnational open user access via a common web-portal, suggesting many outputs are publicly available. Specific licensing or service fees for individual tools would need to be confirmed with the coordinator (EMBL).

Can these tools work at the scale our organization needs?

The system was designed to coordinate 46 partner organizations across 12 countries, handling biobank samples, imaging data, and molecular profiling data simultaneously. The distributed automated data access system was built specifically for cross-border, multi-institution scale. Based on available project data, this infrastructure was tested across major European research networks.

What is the IP situation — can we license or build on these tools?

CORBEL was a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action (RIA) involving primarily public research organizations (24 research institutes, 19 universities). With only 1 industry partner and 2% industry ratio, the outputs are likely governed by open-access principles. Specific licensing terms should be discussed with EMBL as the coordinating organization.

How does CORBEL handle the legal and ethical complexity of cross-border biomedical data?

The project specifically developed ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues) guidance delivered through a help-desk format, covering new scientific, technological, and cross-border developments. This is a ready-made resource for any organization navigating the regulatory maze of multi-country biomedical research data sharing.

Is this project still active or are the tools maintained?

CORBEL ran from September 2015 to May 2020 and is now closed. However, the project was designed to establish a sustained foundation of collaborative scientific services. The research infrastructures involved (like EMBL, EATRIS, and others) continue to operate, and many CORBEL outputs have been integrated into their ongoing services.

How hard is it to integrate CORBEL tools with our existing systems?

The project delivered a toolkit for community ontology mapping and standardized data upload procedures for biosample and molecular profiling data. These were built specifically to bridge different systems across 46 organizations. The ontology mapping toolkit in particular was designed to help organizations align their data with community standards.

Is training available for our team?

CORBEL developed new course syllabi for a modular curriculum specifically designed for piloting in research infrastructures. These training materials cover the tools and services created by the project and could serve as a foundation for onboarding teams to the unified infrastructure approach.

Consortium

Who built it

The CORBEL consortium is heavily research-driven: 24 research organizations and 19 universities dominate, with only 1 industry partner (2% industry ratio) and 1 SME across the entire 46-member team spanning 12 countries. The coordinator, EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), is one of Europe's most prestigious research institutions. This composition means the tools and services were designed by scientists for scientists — excellent for technical quality but potentially lacking commercial polish. For a business looking to use these outputs, expect robust scientific infrastructure but plan for some adaptation work to fit commercial workflows. The geographic spread across 12 countries (AT, BE, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, IT, NL, NO, UK) ensures the solutions handle real cross-border complexity, which is a genuine advantage for any company operating across European markets.

EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORYCoordinator · DE
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDENthirdparty · NL
ECRIN EUROPEAN CLINICAL RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKparticipant · FR
MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENparticipant · AT
EATRIS ERICparticipant · NL
HEINRICH-HEINE-UNIVERSITAET DUESSELDORFparticipant · DE
TARTU ULIKOOLthirdparty · EE
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTERparticipant · UK
MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAT GRAZthirdparty · AT
STICHTING VUparticipant · NL
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEparticipant · UK
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBHparticipant · DE
STICHTING LYGATUREthirdparty · NL
BIOBANKS AND BIOMOLECULAR RESOURCES RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CONSORTIUM (BBMRI-ERIC)participant · AT
KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAWparticipant · NL
FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE CIENCIES FOTONIQUESparticipant · ES
HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBHparticipant · DE
FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN EVparticipant · DE
ISTITUTO DI RICERCHE FARMACOLOGICHE MARIO NEGRIparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEEparticipant · UK
MAX DELBRUECK CENTRUM FUER MOLEKULARE MEDIZIN IN DER HELMHOLTZ-GEMEINSCHAFT (MDC)participant · DE
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS GRONINGENparticipant · NL
STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRNparticipant · IT
ISTITUTO ORTOPEDICO RIZZOLIthirdparty · IT
DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINOparticipant · IT
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWSparticipant · UK
CONSTRUCTOR UNIVERSITY BREMEN GGMBHparticipant · DE
EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE ON HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AGENTSparticipant · BE
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICASparticipant · ES
IDRYMA IATROVIOLOGIKON EREUNON AKADEMIAS ATHINONparticipant · EL
CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO RISONANZE MAGNETICHE DI METALLO PROTEINEparticipant · IT
TERVEYDEN JA HYVINVOINNIN LAITOSthirdparty · FI
UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM UTRECHTparticipant · NL
STICHTING HET NEDERLANDS KANKER INSTITUUT-ANTONI VAN LEEUWENHOEK ZIEKENHUISthirdparty · NL
LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT DSMZ-DEUTSCHE SAMMLUNG VON MIKROORGANISMEN UND ZELLKULTUREN GMBHparticipant · DE
THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOLparticipant · UK
EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE OF OPEN SCREENING PLATFORMS FOR CHEMICAL BIOLOGY EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTUCTURE CONSORTIUM (EU-OPENSCREEN ERIC)participant · DE
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAMparticipant · NL
CAB INTERNATIONALparticipant · UK
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR
INFRAFRONTIER GMBHparticipant · DE
NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNUthirdparty · NO
INSTRUCT ACADEMIC SERVICES LIMITEDparticipant · UK
CSC-TIETEEN TIETOTEKNIIKAN KESKUS OYparticipant · FI
SORBONNE UNIVERSITEthirdparty · FR

How to reach the team

EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), Germany — one of Europe's leading life science research organizations

Order a report on this consortium See EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to know how CORBEL's unified data access and biobank coordination tools could accelerate your preclinical pipeline? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people at EMBL and partner institutions.

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