BBMRI (Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) was one of the first projects entering the European Research Infrastructure preparatory phase of the ESFRI roadmap funded by the European Commission (EC). The preparatory phase of BBMRI came to its end in January 2011. Over the past 3 years BBMRI has grown into a 53-member consortium with more than 280 associated organisations (largely biobanks) from over 30 countries, making it one of the largest research infrastructure projects in Europe.

BBMRI will form an interface between biological specimens and data (from patients and European populations) and top-level biological and medical research. This can only be achieved through a distributed research infrastructure with operational units in most if not all participating Member States. BBMRI will be implemented under the ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) legal entity with headquarters (central coordination) in Graz, Austria, responsible for coordination of the activities of National Nodes established in participating countries. By December 2011, 13 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden) have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where they express their aim to establish BBMRI as an ERIC and become Members of BBMRI-ERIC. The application to the European Commission is in its final stages of completion.  The expected start date of BBMRI-ERIC operations is the second half of 2012.

When the preparatory phase of BBMRI came to its end on January 31, 2011, also the Governance and Management Structures which were based on the Grant Agreement came to end. In its final teleconference on Jan 25, 2011, the BBMRI Steering Committee agreed that the Coordinator, the Executive Manager as well as the Steering Committee of the preparatory phase will continue to function as interim bodies of BBMRI until the preparatory (governance) body (as described in the MoU) is established.