Study participants
Find study participants and contact biobank sample donors.
A biobank recontacting study enables recruitment of individuals consented to a biobank to be invited to participate in a new study.
Through Fingenious® service, researchers can access Finnish public biobanks via a coordinated process covering feasibility assessment, access requests, reviews, agreements, cohort formation and participant recontacting.
How does recruitment through biobanks work?
When recruiting participants through biobanks, a biobank identifies a cohort based on agreed study criteria. Eligible individuals may then be contacted and invited to participate in a new study.
The invitation does not oblige anyone to participate. Each invited individual receives information about the study and decides whether to take part.
Biobanks may use genotype and/or phenotype information to enable targeted recontacting of the study participants. Depending on the study, biobanks can support collection of new samples and/or data or finding participants for clinical studies. Fingenious® service connects Finnish biobanks, research resources and researchers through one national service.
Why recruit participants through Finnish biobanks?
From research idea to recruiting participants in six steps
1. Feasibility
The feasibility assessment examines the proposed cohort, practical feasibility and expected costs.
• research idea
• preliminary study objectives
• target-population criteria
• initial description of the study implementation
2. Study protocol finalization
Researcher completes study protocol including
• description of recruitment through biobanks
• materials to participants
3a. Study approvals (for drug and medical device trials)
Ethical and competent authority approval in accordance with applicable law (EU CTR, MDR, IvDR and national legislation)
3b. Biobank approval (access request)
Researcher submits the access request and required attachments through Fingenious®service.
• research plan
• DPIA
• Principal Investigator’s CV
• covering letters or other participant materials
• ethics committee statement and other approvals if available
The application proceeds through the required reviews and decisions. These may include an ethics committee statement, scientific review(s) and biobank-specific decisions. Additional permits may be required depending on the nature of the study.
4. Biobank agreement
Biobank recruitment services agreement through FINBB. Clinical site agreements separately if needed.
5. Participant recruitment (Study begins)
The participating biobanks form the cohort, perform the required consent and eligibility checks, prepare the agreed materials and contact potential participants.
• postal or electronic invitations
• participant information and consent materials
• reminders if included in the approved study plan
• participant support if included in the study
• questionnaires or other agreed data-collection activities
If you want to follow study recruitment at the biobanks, use our Recruit solution.
6. Performing the Study
At the end of the recruitment phase the new study begins. Parties complete the agreed closing activities for the recontacting phase. These may include reporting, feedback, invoicing and the return of agreed study-generated data to the biobanks.
Who does what?
Researcher
• defines the study objective and target population
• prepares the research plan and required documents
• provides participant-facing materials
• is responsible for conducting the research study
• responds to scientific and administrative questions during review
• completes agreed reporting and closing activities
Fingenious® team
• single-point of contact
• coordinates the national process
• contracting on behalf of all participating biobanks
• supports communication between the researcher and biobanks
• coordinates multi-biobank collaboration
• supports the contractual and project-management process as agreed
Biobanks
• find suitable candidates from biobank donors and invites donors to the study
• conduct required reviews
• make biobank-specific decisions
• form eligible cohorts
• complete consent and eligibility checks
• carry out agreed participant-contact activities
• perform other agreed biobank tasks
Participant
• receives information about the study
• decides whether to participate
• provides a new consent when required
Researcher checklist
What should I prepare?
Plan participant recontacting early
Recontacting studies require coordination between researchers, FINBB and biobanks, ethics committee and study sites. Early preparation supports a realistic feasibility assessment and helps identify project-specific requirements before implementation begins.
The following points should be agreed during project planning:
• participating biobanks
• final cohort criteria
• participant-contact method
• invitation and consent materials
• handling of participant questions
• reminder practices
• responsibilities during recontact
• data and sample collection
• closing reports and returned data
• pricing and invoicing arrangements
The precise order and implementation may vary by project and participating biobank.
Previous experiences in recruitment through biobanks
Contact us
We're ready to support you in your biomedical research efforts. Contact us now and we'll be in touch with you at the earliest opportunity.
Register with Fingenious Service
Sign up for Fingenious services and see what Finnish biobanks have to offer for biomedical research. It’s easy, quick, and you can get the whole service from one service provider.
