Application process

Preparing the request for samples

The NBB’s extensive stock of human CNS tissue samples are registered in a members-only online database: the e-NBB. New members can request an account and after approval they can search the collection and make and save a selection of brain samples.

If assistance is required for selecting samples, please contact the NBB via eNBB@nin.knaw.nl. The personnel of the NBB may be able to provide useful advice and expertise on the use of human tissue and tissue availability. 

Submission and review of the request

You can request samples through our online database e-NBB. Click on the 'submit application' button on the homepage of e-NBB, and provide all information regarding your tissue request in the subsequent online form.

All applications are reviewed by the NBB’s scientific committee that will review the availability of the requested material (diagnosis and anatomical area) and scientific quality of the project. Within 6 weeks upon receipt of the application form, we aim to inform you whether your request can be approved. The document linked below describes the review criteria for applications.

Review criteria for tissue applications

The NBB applies the following criteria to assess whether applicants and institutions are eligible to request tissues:

• Applicant: must be an employee of a research and/or academic institution, pharmaceutical industry or contract research organization with proven research knowledge. 
• Institution: must be a research and/or academic institution, pharmaceutical company or contract research organization. In principle, the NBB does not provide material to institutions that are under military authority or have a clear military signature.

If you have questions regarding eligibility, please contact us via enbb@nin.knaw.nl. 

Cost-recovery

The NBB is a non-profit organization and the financial contribution is meant as compensation for the costs of brain banking, and not as payment for the brain tissue samples as such. With the financial contribution of researchers NBB covers part of the costs for donor recruitment, autopsies around the clock, processing samples in the lab, determining the neuropathological diagnosis, and storage and distribution of samples. When submitting grants for research projects which plan to use NBB tissue, we recommend to include the estimated financial contribution in the grant application budget.

Sample price

The financial contribution per sample for non-profit organizations per 1 January 2024

For profit organizations

The NBB operates a different pricing model for for-profit organizations and public-private partnerships; prices can be provided upon request via enbb@nin.knaw.nl.

Public private partnerships are defined as projects submitted by the academic partner, where all or part of the project costs are carried by industry, whereas the project execution lies predominantly within academia. As such the NBB remains accessible to academic researchers, while recognizing the for-profit character and interests of the funding source.  

Invoice Information

An invoice for the supplied samples will be sent after the samples have been received by the applicant. If the NBB has not supplied samples to the applicant's organization before, 25% of the total financial contribution shall be invoiced in advance.

Please read more about our invoicing information and payment conditions here. 

The Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) provides human brain tissue and/or other biological Material for scientific research obtained on the basis of informed consent. The Material will only be supplied subject to conditions stated in this Material Transfer Agreement (MTA).

The MTA is concluded with the legal entity (named Recipient in the MTA) and signed by the person who was granted the power of representation thereto. The applicants employed by or affiliated with the Recipient organization can keep on filing applications for Material required for a certain research project. The MTA functions as a framework agreement and remains in effect for an indefinite period of time.

The Recipient has the responsibility to make sure that the applicants of NBB Material, are familiar with the contents of the MTA. Nevertheless, the NBB has drawn up a clear summary of the MTA, called the Material Transfer Statements (MTS), which is always sent to the applicant together with the project specific Implementing Letter.

The terms and conditions of the MTA are non-negotiable. We kindly request you to carefully read, sign and return the signed MTA. The NBB accepts either electronic signatures, or a scan of the signed MTA sent by e-mail.

Download our Material Transfer Agreement

Transportation of samples

The main applicant shall either collect the tissue samples at the address of the NBB or request the NBB to post the material to the recipient’s address by a courier of choice. When the brain samples will be shipped, the NBB will take all reasonable precautions to ensure proper packaging of the material for transportation purposes.

Transfer of data

The main applicant then also receives the extensive (pseudononymized) clinical and neuropathological information of the donors from which samples have been supplied. The clinical summary contains, among other data, the cause of death and the medical history (e.g. clinical course and medication use).