The present invention relates to a method for collecting and preserving biological specimens for biobanking cryopreservation, comprising the steps of i) placing the specimen in a cooling fluid pre-set at a first predetermined temperature of between -10°C and -60°C for snap freezing the specimen, and ii) reducing the temperature of said cooling fluid to a second predetermined temperature suitable for preserving said specimen. The second temperature is most preferably -80°C. The reduction of the temperature in step ii) is performed by a predetermined cooling profile. The invention is further directed to a corresponding apparatus (1), comprising a receiving means (2) for receiving a cooling fluid and the specimen, a cooling means to cool said fluid in said receiving means, and a controller configured to control the cooling means. The receiving means comprises at least one reservoir (3, 30) and a working plate (4).The cooling means is preferably a stirling cooler using Argon gas.
