Towards a National Biobank Registry in Ireland: Insights from a Scoping Mapping Exercise

Background Biobanks are critical infrastructure underpinning modern translational research and despite their growing recognition, Ireland’s biobanking landscape remains largely unmapped, fragmented, and uncoordinated. This study addresses Recommendation 3 of the 2023 Irish Health Research Forum report by mapping biological repositories across the island of Ireland to evaluate national capacity, identify structural gaps, and inform future governance frameworks. Objective To identify and characterise biobanking activity across the island of Ireland using publicly available and institutional sources. Methods A scoping and landscape mapping exercise was conducted, expanding an initial dataset of 36 repositories compiled in 2023–2024 to a verified dataset reviewed between January and May 2026. Repositories were identified through structured web searches, institutional website audits, and snowball searching, and characterised across four domains: administrative data, institutional affiliation, sample details, and funding. Results Thirty-nine biological repositories were identified across the island of Ireland, of which 38 were active at the time of extraction. Repositories were predominantly academically affiliated (74%), with a predominant non-profit model (82%). Repositories were heavily concentrated in Dublin (72%). Blood and tissue samples were the most stored biospecimens. Disease-oriented and cancer-specific collections accounted for 59% of repositories. Significant data gaps were noted; five repositories had no dedicated public description of their activity, and 79% did not report on estimates of collection size. No formal international memberships with international biobank networks were reported. Conclusion Ireland possesses a diverse and active biobanking ecosystem, but its full research potential is currently constrained by limited visibility, inconsistent terminology, and the absence of national coordination. Establishing a national biobank registry and coordinating office would connect existing resources, reduce duplication of investment, and strengthen Ireland's position within the wider European biobanking landscape.