Mid-Size Instrumentation in the Life Sciences:
IV. Advanced Light Microscopy
Imprint
ERA-Instruments
Christian Renner
Achim Tieftrunk
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Kennedyallee 40
53175 Bonn
[email protected]
[email protected]
Euro-BioImaging
Jan Ellenberg
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Meyerhofstr. 1
69117 Heidelberg
[email protected]
Layout
Bosse und Meinhard GbR, Wissenschaftskommunikation
Images
Cover: Tomoya Kitajima, Ellenberg group, EMBL
6, 18: istockphoto
12, 16: Advanced Light Microscopy Facility at EMBL Heidelberg
Print
Brandt GmbH, Druckerei und Verlag
More information on
www.era-instruments.eu
and
www.eurobioimaging.eu
Mid-Size Instrumentation in the Life Sciences:
IV.Advanced Light Microscopy
3
Content
4
Preface...........................................................................................................
5
Summary.......................................................................................................
6
AdvancedLightMicroscopy(ALM)..................................................................
7
ALMcentres...................................................................................................
8
Fundingschemes...........................................................................................
13
UserForums...................................................................................................
15
CoreFacilityUserFees....................................................................................
16
Innovation.....................................................................................................
17
Software.........................................................................................................
19
DataChallenge...............................................................................................
21
TechnologyOutlook........................................................................................
22
Conclusions....................................................................................................
23
AboutEuro-BioImaging...................................................................................
24
AboutERA-Instruments...................................................................................
26
Preface
ThethreepreviousissuesoftheERA-Instrumentsseries“MidsizeinstrumentationintheLifeSciences”haveaddressed
generalaspectsoflifescienceinstrumentation1.Thisfourth
publicationnowfocusesspecificallyononefieldandtransformsthemoregeneralremarksandconclusionsofthepreviouspublicationsintospecificrecommendations.
ModernlightmicroscopywithitsexcitingandrapiddevelopmentshasbeenamajorthemethroughouttheERA-Instrumentsdiscussionsandadedicatedusermeetingonlaserbased
microscopywasoneofthefirstactionsofERA-Instruments.At
thesametimethistopicwasputontheESFRIroadmap2inthe
frameofEuro-BioImaging.
Euro-BioImagingisalarge-scalepan-Europeanresearch
infrastructureprojectinthefieldofbiologicalandbiomedicalimaging.Itsmissionistoprovideaclearpathofaccessto
acompleterangeofessentialimagingtechnologiesforevery
biologistandbiomedicalscientistinEurope.Euro-BioImagingis
ontheESFRIRoadmapsince2008andthepreparatoryphase
projectwithfinancialsupportfromtheEuropeanCommission
hasbegunin2010.
ThescopeofEuro-BioImagingencompassestheissuesoflight
microscopythatERA-Instrumentshastoucheduponand,thus,
itseemsfittopresentherejointlyresultsandrecommendations.WhileERA-Instrumentsaddressesabroaderrangeof
instrumentation,Euro-BioImagingisthededicatedresearch
infrastructureprojectforbiomedicalimagingandtheforum
fordevelopingdedicatedaccesspolicies,financialmodelsand
moreforthisfield.
1See:http://www.era-instruments.eu/what_we_do/publications.html
2ESFRI,theEuropeanStrategyForumonResearchInfrastructures:
(http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures/)
5
Summary
Lightmicroscopyhasrecentlyseenanincredibleboost
intechnologyandmethodsdevelopment.Thedegree
ofsophisticationoftheinstrumentationisoftensuch
thatspecializedexpertiseisrequiredforefficientand
successfuloperationaswellasforproductiveuseofthe
resultingimagedata.Ithasbecomenotonlyinefficient,butimpossiblethateveryuseroflightmicroscopy
mayacquirein-depthexperiencewithallthediverse
techniquesthathavebecomeavailable.Consequently,
corefacilitiesareinstalledforpoolinginstrumentation
aswellasexpertise.Thesemicroscopyfacilitiesprovide
state-of-the-arttechnologiesandmethodsforabroad
rangeofscientificusers.Theycanalsoactasalink
betweenvarioususergroups,thetechnologyoriented
developersandthecommercialinstrumentproviders.
Sufficientfunding,notonlyforinstrumentation,but
alsoforexpertpersonnel,maintenance,upgradesetc.
hastobeprovidedtothecorefacilitiesallowingthem
toprovidehighqualityscientificservicetousers,includingexternaluserswheneverpossible.Userfeesforacademicuserswilltypicallycoversomerunningcosts,but
fullcostscanonlybechargedtousersfromindustry.
Researchgrantshavetoallowfortheseuserfees.
Matureinstrumentationshouldnormallybeintegrated
insuchcorefacilities,whereasdedicatedorspecialized
microscopeswillstillberunbyindividualexpertgroups.
Developmentofnewtechnologiesismostlydoneinthe
laboratoriesofphysicistsorengineers.Theycanalso
benefitfromlinkstothecorefacilitythatcanprovide
atestinggroundfornewdevelopmentsorprototypes
6
andcanconveytheexpectationsofthebiologicaluser
community.Thecommunicationbetweendevelopers
andbiomedicalresearchersshouldbefostered,sothat
methodsdevelopmentisacceptedasintegralpartof
lifescienceresearchwhilethedevelopersshouldbe
awareofthebiologicallyrelevantquestions.
Afundinggapisidentifiedatthetransitionfromanew
developmenttoacommercialprototype:Themarket
potentialthatisaprerequisitefortheengagementof
acompanycanhardlybetestedwithonlytheoriginal
set-upattheopticalbenchoftheinventorordeveloper.
Duplicatesneedtobeprovidedtotheusercommunity
andtestedfortheirusefulnessregardingbiological
questions,ideallyincooperationwithacorefacility.A
lackoffundingfortheseduplicatescanblocktheinnovationpipelineatthispoint.
ITinfrastructureandbioinformaticsshouldbeseen
asintegralpartsofadvancedmicroscopyfacilitiesor
platformsandneedtobeincludedalsoinearlystages
ofplanning.Sufficienthumanandfinancialresources
needtobeprovidedtomeetthedatachallenge.
Interoperablesoftwaretoolsandstandardizeddataformatsarerequiredtotransformthelaboriouslyacquired
imagedataintoscientificallyvaluableresults.Funding
organisationsshouldpromoteandsupportopensource
developmentsthatareincreasinglyrecognizedalsoby
thecompanies.
Advanced Light Microscopy (ALM)
LightMicroscopyhassincethebeginningofmodern
scienceprovidedinsightsintothemysteriesoflife.The
structureofbiologicaltissue,theveryexistenceoflivingcellsandtheircomponentsareonlyknowndueto
thistrulyindispensableinstrumentation.Thestandard
microscopeprovidingnotmorethanilluminationof
thesampleandmagnificationoftheopticalimageis
stillanextremelywidespreadandusefultool.However,
duringthelastfewdecades,technologydevelopment
hasmovedmodernlightmicroscopytoutterlynew
dimensions–inthetruesenseofthesewords.Laser
scanningmicroscopeshaveincreasedresolution,but
moreimportantlytheyhavemadeaccessiblethethird
spatialdimensionprovidingstacksofimagesinsteadof
asingleprojectionimage.Thetemporalandspectral
resolutionprovidesadditionaldimensionsthatthese
microscopesallowexploring.
Inrecentyearsabroadvarietyofnewmethodshave
beendevelopedtofurtherextendthepossibilitiesof
advancedlightmicroscopy(ALM),intoeverincreasing
temporalandspatialresolution,molecularspecificity
andhigherthroughput.Observationofsinglebiomoleculesandsub-wavelengthresolutionareonlytwo
impressiveexamplesofwhatcanbeachieved.
Alongthisdevelopmentoftechnology,instrumentation
hasbecomeobviouslymoreandmoresophisticated
and,nosurprise,moreexpensive.Besidestheinvestmentcostsforpiecesofequipment,itisalsoincreasinglyimportanttoinvestinexpertiseandsurrounding
infrastructure,especiallyappropriatecomputational
andITsupport,forexploringthepossibilitiesthatthe
technologycanprovide.Ithasbecomeinefficient,ifnot
impossible,foreveryscientistthatreliesonALMtoown
andoperatetheequipmentallbyhim-orherself.The
foundingofcoreunitsandservicegroupsisparalleling
andsometimespioneeringthedevelopmentinother
areasofoperatinglifescienceinstrumentationincore
facilities.3
3SeeERA-InstrumentsrecommendationsIII:„Developmentof
researchinfrastructuresinEurope“
7
ALM centres
Core facilities providing access to
state-of-the-art technology
Inthescientificcommunityaclearpreferenceforand
tendencytowardsfoundingcentresorcorefacilitiesis
recognizable,whichis,however,onlypartiallyreflected
bythecurrentsituation.Similartootherkindsoflife
scienceinstrumentationitisnotalwaysusefultoincorporateallmicroscopesintocorefacilities.Onemay
distinguishdifferentkindsofALMinstrumentation,for
instance,basedonthematurityoftheset-up:
• CommerciallyavailableALMequipmentthatshould
berunincorefacilities,
• Dedicatedcommercialmicroscopesthatareused
tocapacitybyindividualresearchgroups,butare
sometimesmaintainedbycorefacilities,
• Testinstrumentsandprototypesthatareoperatedin
demoareasofcorefacilitiesorthespecialist’slab,
• Opticalbenchesandbreadboardinstrumentsor
techniquesthatarestillunderdevelopmentbyspecializedgroupsintheirownlabs.
Thesecategoriesarenottotallyclear-cutandthereis
activediscussionamongthescientiststowhichextent
thisdifferentiationishelpfulornecessary.Amajorconcernisthecompetitionfor(thesame)funds.Nevertheless,majordifferencesexistbetweenthesecategories
andrequirementsaretosomedegreedifferent.
8
Whycorefacilities?
Corefacilitiesaretypicallyserviceunits,whosemissionistoprovidestate-of-the-artinstrumentationto
apotentiallylargenumberofscientiststhatuseALM
techniques,butdonotown,operateandmaintain
therequiredinstrumentsthemselves.Thedrivingforce
forcreatingcentralcorefacilitiesisoftenthatnotall
researcherswhoareinneedofALMusetheinstrumentstofullcapacity,and/orhavethefinancialmeans
and/orexpertisetooperatetheirowninstrumentsat
fullpotential.Therefore,thedegreeofcapacityutilizationandtheefficiencyofoperationareusuallyhigher
foracorefacilitycomparedtoindividuallyrunequipment.Poolingofindividualfundsforlargerinvestments
inacentralfacilityshouldbeencouragedandtypically
alsoenablestheinstrumentstobeupgradedtokeep
themstate-of-the-artmorefrequentlythaninindividual
researchgroups.
Goodservicerequiresexperts!
Akeyadvantageofcorefacilitiesisthathigh-level
expertiseofthescientificandtechnicalstaffcanbe
maintainedlong-term,whichisdifficultinindividual
researchgroupswhereexpertisecanfluctuateontime
scalesshorterthaninstrumentlifetimes.However,
identifyingandprovidinganattractiveemployment
environmentfortherequiredhighlyqualifiedpersonnel,
especiallyinstrumentationscientistsandengineers,for
corefacilitiesisverydifficult,becausetheavailablepositions,salariesandcontractconditionsaredesignedfor
shorttermscientificstaffsuchaspre-andpostdoctoral
fellows,orstaffwithlowerleveltechnicalqualifications
suchasresearchtechnicians.Toattracthighlyqualified
personnelandmaintaintheirexpertiseatthecutting
edgeofthefield,corefacilitystaffshouldbeemployed
withpermanentpositionsor,atleast,a>5yearsperspective.
calprocess.Datahandling,storing,andcompression
thusrequiresanappropriateIT-infrastructureandcan
beautomatedtoacertainextentincorefacilitieswith
appropriatedatabasesandlaboratoryinformation
managementsystems(LIMS)tailoredtoimagingcore
facilities.Nevertheless,usersfrequentlyneedtraining
onhowtoobjectivelyscoretheirdatamanuallyorhow
tousecomputationalimageanalysistoolstoextractthe
desiredparametersfromtheimagesautomatically.
Broadusersupportandtraining.
Technologydevelopmentincorefacilities.
Acorefacilitynotonlyprovidesaccesstostate-of-theartinstruments,butalsoscientificandtechnicalsupport
aswellastrainingtailoredtotheindividualexpertise
andscientificneedsoftheuser.Samplepreparation
isacrucialstepforsuccessfulmicroscopyandmust
beincludedintheservicesofcorefacilities.Advanced
microscopyaccessshouldbeaccompaniedbyteaching
coursesinmicroscopy.Educatinguserstypicallyleads
tohigherqualityscientificresultsandcanalleviatethe
recurringproblemthatusersaredifficulttosatisfywith
lessthanthemostadvancedinstrumentation,regardlessoftheactualrequirementsoftheresearchquestion
athand.Advisingusersinthechoiceoftheinstrument
andthespecifictechniquetobeusedisanimportant
taskoffacilitystaff.Finally,imaginginstrumentsproduceincreasingamountsofdigitalimagedata,whose
valueoftenliesinquantitatingtheobservedbiologi-
Becauseoftheirbroaduserrange,corefacilitiestypicallyexperiencethelimitationsofcommercialinstrumentationinsatisfyingresearchdemandsveryearly.They
arethereforeinanexcellentpositiontodevelopnew
imagingapplicationsandimprovementsincommercial
instrumentationhard-orsoftwareinordertomeetthe
researchdemands.Thisistypicallyrealizedincollaborationwithindustrialpartnersthatbuildtheinstruments.
Forindustry,corefacilitiesareimportant“application
scouts”andattractivedevelopmentpartners,because
newinstrumentsandprototypescanbesubjected
totestingandtrouble-shootingwithuserswhohave
suitableresearchapplications.Thistechnologydevelopmentistypicallyincrementalandbasedoncommercial
orclosetocommercialtechnology,ratherthanfundamentallynewconceptsinoptics.
9
Dedicated Instruments for individual
research groups
Evaluationofcorefacilities.
Thescientificsuccessofresearchgroupsistypically
measuredbypeerreviewedpublications.Sincethe
missionofcorefacilitiesistosupportresearch,their
evaluationshouldbebasedonthesciencetheyenable,
whichmayonlybeevidencedbyacknowledgments
inpublicationsorthedegreeofusageandthequality
andproductivityoftheusers.Astandardizedadequate
evaluationandrewardsystemforcorefacilitiesand
theirstaffneedstobedeveloped,whichisoneofthe
goalsofEuro-BioImaging.
Aninterestingconceptisthedefinitionofa“corefacilitycertificate”toassureminimalqualitystandardsfor
theseserviceunits.Thecriteriaforsuchacertificate
shouldbedefinedbythebiologicalimagingcommunity,preferablyattheEuropeanlevel,whichisoneof
thegoalsofEuro-BioImaging.Itshouldbuildonexisting
basicrequirementsdefinedforallresearchinfrastructures4.
OpenAccessforsmallerinstitutionsandresearchers
fromotherdisciplines.
Runningacentralmicroscopyfacilityisdifficultforsmaller
institutionsorthoselessfocussedonthiskindofresearch
orcomingfromotherdisciplines,duetotheconsiderable
totalcostsofoperationincludinginstrumentation,maintenanceandupgradesandpersonnel.Theseinstitutions
wouldbenefitstronglyfromopeningexistingcorefacilities
toexternalusersunderstandardizedopenaccessmodalitiesastheyarecurrentlydevelopedbyEuro-BioImaging.
4E.g.the„BasicrequirementsforallRIswithsharedaccess“
bytheEuroHORCs
10
Itiscrucialforresearchgroupsfocusedonimagingapproachesandapplicationstorundedicatedmicroscopes
fortheirresearch.Thesesystemsaresotailoredtothe
specificresearchapplicationsofthegroupand/orused
tofullcapacitythatsharingtheinstrumentswithother
usersisnotanoption.Also,bio-safetyrequirements
forworkwithpathogensorradioactivesubstances
maylimitsharedaccesstosimilarusers.Therefore,itis
vitalthatsuchresearchgroupscontinuetobeableto
runtheirownequipmentoutsideofcorefacilitiesand
continuetoreceivefullfundingsupportforindividual
instrumentation.
Itshouldbenoted,however,thatitmaybebeneficial
evenforhighcapacityandexpertresearchgroupstoassociatetheirdedicatedinstrumentswithcorefacilities,
totakeadvantageoftheprofessionalinstrumentmaintenanceandconsultationininstrumentconfiguration
aswellastrainingofnewmembersoftheirresearch
groupbyexpertcorefacilitystaff.Thisappliesalsoto
highbiosafety/radioactivityaccess,whichrequirescostly
buildinginfrastructureandthereforebenefitsfrom
poolingseveralinstrumentstoallowtakingfulladvantageofdifferentimagingtechnologies.
FundingprogrammesforALMinstrumentationshould
thereforebeopentocorefacilitiesaswellasindividual
researchgroupsoperatinginstruments,butitmaybe
usefultohaveseparatebudgets,fundingstreamsand
evaluationcriteria,forthedifferenttypesofapplications.Closecommunicationofthefundingagencies
withtheinfrastructureprovidersasiscurrentlybeingorganizedinEuro-BioImagingisanopportunitytoensure
thatappropriatesystemsareputinplace.
New technology for biological
applications in developer labs
Fundamentally new optical instruments
in physics or engineering groups
Theexpandingneedsofimaginginlifescienceresearch
haveledtoanewgenerationoftechnologydevelopersthatassembleanddevelophighlycustomizedor
newnon-commercialinstrumentsforspecificbiological
questions.Complicatedexperimentswithsuchspecializedhome-builtinstrumentationonopticalbenchesare
oftennotpossibleincorefacilities,becausethetechnologyisnotsufficientlyrobustormaturetoofferit
toabroaduserbase.Onceatechnologyhasbeendemonstratedasappropriateforabiologicalapplication,
demandforitoftenincreasesbeyondthedeveloping
groupanditsdirectcollaborators.Tofacilitateaccess
toabroaderuserbase,itisnecessarytoprovidefunds
forduplicatingsuchprototypeswithinprojectfunding
schemesbeforethetechnologyiscommerciallyavailable.Earlyaccesstoalargerusergrouphelpstoevaluate
thegeneralutilityofnewinstrumentsandtechnologies
quicklyandsupportsmoreresearcherswithnewtools
morequickly.
Developmentoffundamentallynewinstrumentsbased
onnewopticalconceptscannotbedoneincorefacilitieswithindustrialpartnersandoftennotevenby
developerswhotargetdefinedbiologicalapplications.
Suchtechnologiesareoftendevelopedinthephysicist’s
oropticalengineer’slabwithoutbiologicalapplications
inmindanddevelopersmayhavenoreasontoprovideanewtechnologytobiologists.Developmentsin
optics,especiallyinmicroscopyhardwareandsoftware,
eventuallywillhavemajorimpactsinbiology,butthe
developmentofnovelconceptscantakemanyyears
andsometimesdecadesbeforethisimpacthappens.
Onceabroaderuserinterestbecomesclearandthe
robustnessofthetechnologyhasbeenimprovedinthe
courseofaccessprovision,itcanbegraduallymoved
intoacorefacility,forcompletelyopenaccess.Thiswill
typicallygoalongwithastrategyforcommercialization,forwhichastrongcasecanbemadeatthispoint.
Thus,bothdeveloperlabsandcorefacilitiesbenefit
fromcloseassociationtoalloweasyandfrequentcommunicationandaclearpipelineforgradualtransferof
newinstrumentsandtechnologiesintocorefacilities
thatmaygoalongwithandfacilitatecommercialization.
Thus,thecommunitiesdevelopingnewtechnologyand
thoseapplyingittorelevantbiologicalquestionsare
ratherseparateand,importantly,therewardsystems
aredifferent,i.e.differentjournalsandconferences
thatareconsideredimportantforpublishingresults.
Acknowledgingthatmethodsandinstrumentationdevelopmentisafoundationandintegralpartofexperimentallifescienceresearchisveryimportant.Onthe
otherhand,everynewALMtechnologyhastoproveits
usefulnesstoanswerimportantbiologicalapplications–
alwaysincompetitionwithexistingtechniques.Novelty
aloneisnotsufficient.
11
12
Tobridgethegapbetweenpureinstrumentdevelopers
andpotentialbiologicalusers,regularmeetingsofthe
biologicalimagingcommunitiesanddevelopersinthe
physicsandengineeringcommunitieswouldbehighly
beneficial.
Thiswouldaidearlyevaluationoffundamentallynew
imagingtechnologyconceptsfortheirpotentialinbiologicalapplications.Again,anassociationofdevelopers
withimaginginfrastructureproviderscouldbeusefulto
promoteawarenessofthebiologicalneedsonthedevelopers’sideandawarenessofnoveltechnologiesand
theirpowerandlimitationsonthebiologicaluserside.
Recommendations:
Insummary,toprovideforthemanifoldALMinstrumentationneedsinthelifesciencesthereshouldbe
corefacilitieswithstate-of-the-artcommercialequipmentandtotestanddeveloppre-commercialprototypeswithindustrialpartners,individualgroupswith
dedicatedinstrumentsanddeveloperlabsforresearchingnewtechnologiesforspecificbiologicalapplications.Theselevelsbenefitfromcloseassociationand
aclearpipelinefromdevelopmentvialimitedaccess
toopenaccessandcommercialization.Anongoing
exchangeofbiologicalusersanddeveloperswithphysicistsandopticalengineersthatdevelopfundamentally
newtechnologyconceptswillensurethatnewtechnologiesmeetpotentialbiologicalapplicationsasearly
aspossible.
• Corefacilitiesshouldprovideopenaccesstoexternalusersfrominstitutionsthatcannotestablishtheir
ownfacilitiesorlackcertaintechnologies.
• State-of-the-artcommercialALMinstrumentation
shouldpreferablybeprovidedbycorefacilities.
• Corefacilitystaffneedsmidtolongtermemploymentperspectivesandtrainingcareerandevaluationsystemsadaptedtotheirspecialrequirements
ashighlevelservicestaff.
• Corefacilitiesshouldobtaintherequiredpersonnel
andfundstobroadlysupportandtraintheirusers
andthusprovidethebestpossibleservice.
• LimitedaccesstonewlydevelopedALMtechnologiesinorfromdeveloperlabsshouldbesupported
byfundingorganizationsviaduplicationofhomebuiltinstrumentsandprovisionofexpertstaff.
• Fundamentalnewmethodsdevelopmentshould
beacceptedasintegralpartoflifescienceresearch
andthegapbetweenbiologicalusersandpure
instrumentdevelopersshouldbebridgedbyregular
meetings.
Funding schemes
Funding of core facilities
Duetothekeyenablingroleoutlinedabove,suitable
fundingschemesforcorefacilitiesbasedonthescience
theyenable-documentedbyusernumbers,acknowledgementinscientificpublicationsanduserlettersof
support-areneeded.Theseprogrammesshouldallow
fundingofnewinstruments,necessaryupgradesand
replacementstokeepheavilyusedinstrumentsstateof-the-art,aswellasmaintenanceofinstruments.They
shouldalsoprovidefornecessaryITandbuildinginfrastructure,especially,whennewcorefacilitiesareestablishedbutalsowhenexistingonesundergoupgrades.
Asoutlinedabove,keytothesuccessandaddedvalue
ofcorefacilitiesishighlytrainedexpertstafftosupportandtrainusers.Thefundingschemesshouldallow
personnelandrunningcostsaseligiblecostitems.It
isimportanttogivethishighlycompetedforstaffmediumtolongtermcareertrackoptions.Jobsecurityand
thedefinitionofatailoredevaluationsystemoftheir
performancebythesciencetheyenableareneeded.
Acentralaspectistheappreciationofsuchinstrument
scientistsbytheresearchcommunity.Itcanbehelpfultospearheadthisnewtypeofpositionbystartup-fundingthroughresearchcouncilstoencourage
theestablishmentofcorefacilitiesatuniversitiesand
researchinstitutions.Dependingonthelevelofinstitutionalfundingthatthecorefacilitiesreceive,project
grantstousersneedtohaveprovisionsforaccessfees
tocorefacilities,whichcanincludetravelandlodgingofusersaswellastheactualinstrumenttimeand
consumablecostofthecorefacility.Sinceopeningcore
facilitiestoexternaluserswouldbeverybeneficialfor
smallerinstitutionsandscientistsfromotherdisciplines,
fundingtoincreasecapacitytosupportexternalusers
shouldbemadeavailable.
13
14
Funding of individual instrumentation
Funding of technology developments
Intheexperienceofthescientistsfundingofstandard
equipmentisoftendifficultalthoughrequiredfora
broadusercommunity.Thefinancingofupgradesis
complicatedcomparedtonewinstrumentationalthoughlesscostly.Fundingforexpensivecutting-edge
instrumentationisofteneasiertoobtainthanformore
modestandadequateequipment.Itisafrequentbut
erroneousassumptionthatthemostexpensiveandsophisticatedinstrumentationwillmoreorlessautomaticallyproducethebiologicallymostrelevantresult.
Technologicaldevelopmentsforbiologicalapplications
shouldnotalwaysbeseenasanengineeringproblem,
asitisoftennotacceptedinengineeringas“proper”
engineering,butconsideredmereapplicationofknown
principles.Applyingknownprinciplestonewapplicationsisoftenveryfruitful,butjustasoftennotacknowledgedforitsworth.Developmentofmicroscopy
techniquesshouldbeacceptedasvalidandvaluable
researchpreferablybothinthelifesciencesaswellas
physicsandengineering.
Evaluationofindividualinstrumentfundingapplications
shouldbebasedonscientificneedsfordedicatedinstrumentsand,ifpossible,demonstrationofexperience
andexpertiseinthespecificALMtechnologywithout
puttingjuniorgroupsatadisadvantageinthecompetitionforfunds.
Thereisafundinggapfeltbetweenopticalbenchesor
prototypesandcommercialproductdevelopment,especiallywhenthepotentialmarketisstillundefined.Core
facilitiesmayplayakeyroletotestthemarketpotential
ofnewtechnologieswithmanyusersandincollaborationwithindustryprovidinganinstructiveexamplehow
tobridgethisinnovationgap.Fundingschemesneed
tosupportthiscriticalphase.Proprietarysoftwareand
hardwareleadtoreinventing.Fundingorganisations
shouldenforceandsupportopenacademicaccessto
hardwareandsoftware.AdequateIPprotectionfor
commercialuseisaprerequisiteforsuccessfulcollaborationwithindustry.
User Forums
Recommendations:
• Adequatefundingschemesforcorefacilityinstrumentation,buildingandITinfrastructureandexpert
staffareneeded.
• Increasingthecapacityofexistingcorefacilitiesfor
providingaccesstoexternalusersshouldbesupported.
• Projectfundingschemesshouldallowtheinclusion
ofuserfeesinprojectproposalsunlesscorefacilities
receiveinstitutionalfundingforofferingexternal
access.
• Fundingoftechnologicaldevelopmentsinboth
softwareandhardwareshouldbesupportedwithin
biologicalprojectswithaclearcommitmenttothe
newmethodology.
Theprocessofpurchasingnewinstrumentscanbe
verylong,becauseoflackofexperience.Twomeasures
couldimprovethis.Firstofallcorefacilitiescanprovide
anidealtestsiteforseveralstate-of-the-artinstrumentsfromdifferentmanufacturerssidebysideforthe
specificapplication.Second,exchangeofexperience
withnewinstrumentsandcoordinationofacademic
customerscanbeveryuseful:Whatwentwrong?What
wasgood?Whatproblemsappearedwiththenewinstrument?Usermeetingsindifferenttechnologyareas,
suchasprovidedwithintheannualELMImeetings5
alsoservethispurpose.Finally,inordertocreatemore
transparencyitwouldbedesirabletodisclosepublicly
financedinvestmentsaswellascompanies’offers.
5Seewww.embl.org/elmi/
• Fundingschemesfordedicatedstandardorcuttingedgeinstrumentationforsingleinvestigatorsmust
exist,butshouldbeseparate,preferablywitheven
separatedbudgets.
• Fundingorganisationsshouldfollowuponcommitmentsregardingrunningcoststhataregivenwhen
universitiesapplyforinstrumentationorcollaborativeresearchcentres(thatdependoninstrumentation).
15
Core Facility User Fees
Inmicroscopyfacilitiestheattitudetowardsuserfeesis
verysimilartothatinlifesciencesingeneral.6Neither
fullcostsnorfreeaccessareconsideredidealsolutions.Experienceshowsthathighorfullcostuserfees
discourageusersthathaveonlylimitedmeanstopay
fromtheirownbudget,whichputsespeciallyjunior
investigatorsatanundesirabledisadvantage.Inaddition,highuserfeesmisleadscientistsintoapplyingand,
potentially,purchasingtheirowninstruments,evenif
theydonotuseittofullcapacityandlackthenecessary
technologicalexpertise.Afullcostmodelthatincludes
instruments,staffandallrunningcostsofthecore
facilitiesisthereforenotpracticalforacademicusers.
However,fullcostsarecommonlychargedtocommercialusersfromcompanies.Whiletheyusuallyconstitute
onlyasmallfractionoftheusers,thegeneratedincome
canbeflexiblyusedtocontributetomaintenanceand
upgradecostofthecorefacility.
Moderateuserfees,basedontheconsumablebut
notthestaffnortheinstrumentationcostofthecore
facility,increasecommitmentandefficiencyintheuse
ofthemeasurementtime.Suchfeescanbegraduated
dependingontheservicesused,suchassamplepreparation,reconfigurationofimagingequipment,data
storage,analysisandevaluation.
6See,forexample,thefirstissue“EfficientOperationand
Access”ofthisrecommendationsseries
16
Externalusersfromotheruniversitiesorinstitutionsare
usuallychargedhigherfeesthanlocalusersconsistent
withthefactthatlocalcorefundingusuallycoversa
largefractionofthetotaloperatingcosts.
Userfeesshouldbecomparableforsimilartechniques
andinstrumentsatleastatanationallevel(dependingonnationalfundingsituations)andideallyacross
Europe,agoaltowardswhichthestandardizationinitiativeofuseraccessmodalitiesinEuro-BioImagingisactivelyworkingtowards.Thereisacertainconvergence
onhourlycostsforprovidingminimumorfullsupport
tousersofAdvancedLightMicroscopy,basedonpracticalexperienceoftheleadingEuropeancorefacilities
thatcanserveasamodel.Theuseofnon-commercial
newlydevelopedequipmentshouldremainfreeof
chargetotheuserandisusuallybasedonscientificcollaborationsratherthanservicecontracts,butdeveloper
groupsshouldbegivenadditionalfundingsupportto
providethesemethodstoabroaderuserbaseearly,
beforetheyreachsufficientmaturityforinclusioninto
corefacilitiesand/orcommercialization.
Innovation
Recommendations
• Consideringthatfundsforinvestmentsareusually
easiertoobtainthanrunningandmaintenance
costs,manufacturersshouldbeaskedtobuild
standardinstrumentationevenmorerobust.
• Userfeesneedtosupporthighqualityscience
withoutfavouringhighlyfundedgroupsortopics.
Thiscanbebestachievedwithmoderateuserfees,
basedonconsumablecost.
• Standardizeduserfeesforcomparabletechnologiesacceptabletothecommunityandthefunding
partnersshouldbedevelopedatthenationaland
Europeanlevel.
Itisgenerallyconsideredthatafterapproximatelyfive
yearsastate-of-the-artmicroscopeisoutdated.This
correspondstotheproductcyclesofcompaniesthatare
ontheorderof5-10years,dependingonthetechnology.Discussionsshowedthatthepathtocommercializationofanewideaandthepotentialmarketforthe
correspondingproductisilldefinedandunnecessarily
long.Whilecompaniesonlydevelopnewproducts,if
thereisamarket,itisnotclearwhodefinesthispotentialmarket.Somenewmicroscopictechniqueshave
beenlaunchedtooearly,i.e.immatureorwithoutclear
scientificapplication,othersonlywithconsiderabledelayholdingbacktheirpotentialinansweringimportant
researchquestions.
Problemsindefiningapotentialmarketincludehowto
provetheutilityandapplicabilityofanewtechnique,
ifthereisonlyoneprototype.Totestthevalueofnew
ALMinventionsandopenthemtomoreusers,early
duplicationofinstrumentsindeveloperlabsand/orprovidingcopiestoothermultiplicatorlabsisconsidered
17
veryuseful,butcurrentlynofundingmechanismsexist
tosupportthis.
Onceutilityatasmallscalehasbeenestablishedwith
severalusersanddependabilityoftheinstrumenthas
improved,offeringnewtechnologiestoabroaderuser
baseincollaborationwithcorefacilitiesisveryuseful.
Thiscanbeakeystepinevaluatingmaturity,robustness
andmarketpotential.Commercializationtoprovide
turn-keyinstrumentstotheentirecommunityisthen
theobviousnextstep.Thiswoulddefineaclearinnovationpipeline,fromdevelopergroup,vialocalduplicationofinstrumentsandrestrictedaccess,tobroader
useraccesswithinacorefacility,andfinally,towide
distributionviacommercialization.Thispipelinewould
evaluateutilityandsizeofuserbaseandthusmarket
potentialateverystage,avoidingmanyoftheproblems
thatexisttoday.
Fromtheviewofthescientists,theintellectualproperty
shouldnotbegiventoindustrytooearly,especially
forsoftwareapplications,butshouldratherstaywith
thescientistsaslongascommercialpotentialandbest
industrialpartnerforcommercializationisunclear.On
theotherhand,someindustrialpartnersbelievethat
thedevelopmentshouldbedonebyR&Dinindustry,
notwithintheuniversities.
18
Thecaveatofthisisthatdevelopmentinindustryis
furtherawayfromtheresearchneedsandapplications
andhasmuchlongerinnovationcycles.Itisworth
notingthatmostoftherecentmajorinnovationsin
AdvancedLightMicroscopythathavemadealsomajor
commercialimpact,suchasconfocal,twophotonand
super-resolutionmicroscopyalloriginatedfromacademicdeveloperlaboratories.
Againcorefacilitiescanplayakeyroletobridgethe
gapbetweendevelopersandindustryandcouldbe
complementedbydedicatedpartneringactivitiesto
providearegularforumforcontactsbetweenresearch
groups,corefacilitiesandcompanies,whichisoneof
thegoalsoftheEuro-BioImagingIndustryBoard.
Recommendations
• Aclearpipelineforcommercializationofnew
technologydevelopmentshouldbedefinedthat
allowsearlyuseraccess,timelyevaluationofmarket
potentialandrapidcommercialization.
• Corefacilitiesshouldplayakeyroleinbridgingthe
gapbetweenacademiaandindustry.
• Thedialoguebetweenacademiaandindustry
shouldbefosteredandsupported.
Software
Softwaretoolsinmicroscopysupportdataacquisition,
microscopeoperation,andimportantlycomputational
handlingandanalysisofdigitalimagedata.Standardisationandopenaccessforthescientificcommunity
arekeyrequirementsforacademicresearchtoensure
reproducibilityofresultsanddisseminationofmethods.Theavailabilityofadequatesoftwaretoolsand
standards,especiallyforimagedatamanagementand
analysisiscurrentlyunsatisfactory.
Thereasonsaremanifold:
• Thebroadrangeandrapiddevelopmentofimage
basedresearchapplicationsmakescommercialisationdifficultandtooslowtosatisfyuserneeds.
• Fundingforsustainableacademicsoftwaredevelopmentisdifficulttoobtain,evenmoresoforimplementinguser-friendlyready-to-usesoftware,than
fordevelopingnewalgorithms.
• Arewardsystemforopenaccessandopensource
softwaredevelopmentismissing.
• Softwareoftendependsoncompaniesandtheir
proprietarydataformatsthatarenotstandardized
and/orchangerapidlywithnewsoftwareversions.
• Metadataisveryimportantforusingandinterpretingtheimagedatacorrectly.However,metadataof
theexperiment,i.e.theinstrumentsettings,areoftendifficulttoaccessindependentlyfromthecompany’sproprietarysoftware.Metadataandprotocols
regardingforexamplethesamplecompositionand
preparationareofteninsufficientlyrecordedbythe
users,ifatall.
• Publicdomainsoftwareisdevelopedonmanydifferentsoftwareplatformsandisoftendifficultor
impossibletouse,becauseitisnotuser-friendly.
Asaresultthecurrentlandscapeconsistsofmany
independentlydevelopedsoftwaretoolsthatarenot
standardizedorinteroperableintermsofthedatainput
andoutput,whichhasmadecommunityeffortsat
standardizationinefficient.Evensomeofthemostsuccessfultoolsoftendependontheengagementofone
orveryfewenthusiasticindividuals,endangeringtheir
sustainability.
19
20
Therearecurrentlyseveraleffortstoimprovethisunsatisfactorysituation.TheOpenMicroscopyEnvironment
(OME)andbio-formatsinitiativehavegreatlyimproved
standardsofbothrawimageandmetadataandsignificantlyimprovedinteroperabilityofdatabetweendifferentsoftwaretools.Thesedatastandardsarebecoming
widelyacceptedbyusersandindustryalsofornew
releasesofcommercialsoftware.Theleadingmanufacturersofmicroscopesandaccompanyingsoftwareare
nowOMEcommercialpartners.OMEisalsooffering
openaccessdatahandlingandmanagementsupport.
Recommendations:
Inaddition,thereisaconvergencetoonlyafewdevelopmentsoftwareplatformsforimageanalysis.Most
widelyusedistheopensourceprojectImageJ,which
willbesustainedasImageJ2intheUnitedStatesand
hasabroaduserandplug-indevelopercommunity.
Inaddition,Matlabhasestablisheditselfasasecond
widelyuseddeveloperplatform,whichisalgorithmicallymorepowerful.However,thenumerousMatlab
toolscurrentlylackthemodularintegrationthatImageJ
plug-insallow.Finally,thereisstillarelativelylarge
groupofmorespecializedsoftwareenvironmentsto
supportspecificdataanalysistasks,whichagainwould
benefitfrommorestandardizationandintegration.A
majorchallengeforthefuturewillbetoimplement
newpowerfulmultidimensionaldataformatsforimage
andmetadatathatreflecttheincreaseindimensionalityofimagedatadrivenbytherevolutioninimaging
technologies.
• Fundingorganisationsshouldrequestopenaccess
todataandsoftwaretoolsthattheysupportintheir
fundingprogrammes,therebyprovidinganincentive
forrapiduptakebycompanies.
• Datastandardizationneedstoproceedfurtherand
standardsshouldbeuniversallyusedandaccepted
alsobyindustry.Itshouldbepossibletolearnfrom
communitiesthathaveestablisheddatastandards
andcross-validatedsoftwaretools,e.g.macromolecularx-raycrystallographywiththeirsuccessful
CCP4initiative7,orastronomerswiththeirFITS
format.Newmultidimensionaldataformatswillbe
neededinthefutureatthecoreofimageacquisitionandanalysis.
• Whereverpossible,integrationintoexistingand
standardizedopenaccesstools,suchasOMEand
ImageJorMatlabpackagesshouldbeencouraged
fornewsoftwaredevelopments,unlessthereare
strongscientificreasonsthatrequirenewplatforms.
7Seehttp://www.ccp4.ac.uk/
Data Challenge
Thefieldofopticaltechnologyandlightmicroscopyis
veryrapidlyadvancingandexpanding.Forexample,
increasinglymultidimensional,high-throughputaswell
assuper-resolutionlightmicroscopywillbeimportant
andwidelyusedmethodsforfutureresearch.Those
methodscangeneratebetweenmultipletensofGBup
toseveralTBofdataperexperiment,whichtranslates
tomassivelyincreasingdataproductionvolumesper
investigator.Therefore,datacompression,storagenetworkbandwidthaswellascrossplatforminteroperabilityhavebecomecriticalissuesforITinfrastructuressupportinglifescienceresearchthatusesALMmethods.At
manyinstitutesthebioinformaticsinfrastructureneeds
betterequipmentorupgrading.Veryofteninstallation
ofnewITinfrastructurerequiresspecificprerequisites
suchashosting(personnel)andevenhousing(e.g.air
conditioning).
“Over the past twenty years there have been great
advances in light microscopy with the result that
multidimensional imaging has driven a revolution in
modern biology. The development of new approaches of data acquisition is reported frequently, and
yet the significant data management and analysis
challenges presented by these new complex datasets
remain largely unsolved. As in the well-developed
field of genome bioinformatics, central repositories
are and will be key resources, but there is a critical
need for informatics tools in individual laboratories
to help manage, share, visualize, and analyze image
data.”
Assystematicandquantitativeimagingstudiesare
becomingfeasible,importantnewscientificinsights
canbegainedbyre-analysisofreferencedatasets
aftertheirinitialpublication.Openaccesstoproperly
standardizedandcuratedexistingmicroscopyreference
dataisthereforeveryimportantforthecommunity.
Comparabletothepublicgenome(andstartingnow
alsoproteome)dataresourcesinbioinformatics,itis
desirablethatimportantmicroscopydataisreadily
availablethroughcentralandpubliclyaccessiblestorage
repositories.Thestandardizationrequiredfordepositing
dataintosuchrepositories,andforsharingandmaking
datacommonlycomputableiscurrentlyunderway.
Localcapacitiescanthenbeusedforcomputing,e.g.
parameterizing,analyzingandvisualizingthedata.
However,localITinfrastructuremustbeconsideredand
includedinalargerstrategiccontext.Gradualupgrades
continuouslyfollowingthegrowingdemandofdata
centresaremorecostlyandlessefficientthenwellplannedrenewalsofITinfrastructurewithintheframeworkofanoverallITconceptforthewholeinstitution,
countryandultimatelyEuropeanlandscape.Because
ofthelargevolumeofindividualimagedatasetsand
thelargesizeofindividualfiles,networkbandwidthbetweenlifescienceinstitutionsisfrequentlyinsufficient
foreffectivedatatransferandsharing.Cloudstorage
andremotecomputingconceptsforprocessingshould
thereforebeevaluatedinthemediumterm.
(From:SwedlowJR,GoldbergIG,EliceiriKW(2009)Bioimage
informatics for experimental biology.Annu.Rev.Biophys.
38:327-346.)
21
Technology Outlook
SimilartogenomicsthecostsforITandcomputational
analysisinALMarealsorelativelysmallwhencompared
tothoseoftheproductionofpioneerdatasets,suchas
thefirsthumangenome,orthefirstmicroscopy-based
genomewidescreens.However,asdataproduction
technologymaturesandincreasesinthroughput,ITand
computationalcostsquicklybecomeasignificantpart
ofresearchprojectsusingALMtechnologies.Inaddition,thecriticalstepsofdataprocessingandanalysis
becomeincreasinglythebottleneckinproducingscientificresults,andaretoooftennotadequatelycovered
bythefundingprogrammes.Especiallysmalleruniversitiesandinstitutesneedtobewellawareofthetotal
costsofALMincludingbothimagedataproductionand
analysis.EspeciallyupgradingITcanbringunexpected
andunplannedforfollow-upcosts,iftheoverallIT
structureisnotpreparedforit,e.g.regardingbuilding
infrastructureandnetworkbandwidth.
Thediscussionwithandamongscientistsallowedassemblinganumberoftopicsthatwereseenasrelevant
technicaldevelopmentsinlightmicroscopyinthenext
years:
• highthrough-putmicroscopyforsystemsbiology
• multidimensionalmicroscopy
• 3Dand4Dimagingofmodelanimalsandembryos
fordevelopmentalbiology
• lightsheetbasedmicroscopy
• singlemoleculeimaging,especiallyinlivespecimen
• multiphoton,including2ndand3rdharmonic,3D
imagingoflivespecimen
• super-resolutionmicroscopy/nano-microscopy/
isotropichighresolution
• non-linearexcitationtechniques
Recommendations
• ITinfrastructureandbioinformaticsshouldbeseen
asintegralpartsofALMcentresorplatformsand
needtobeincludedalsoinearlystagesofplanning.
• Sufficienthumanandfinancialresourcesneedtobe
providedtomeetthedatachallenge.
22
• photo-perturbationmethods
• betterfluorophoresandnewlabellingtechniques
• reductionofphototoxicityinlivecellimaging
• automatedimageprocessinganddataanalysis
Conclusions
AdvancedLightMicroscopyisanessentialtoolformodernlifesciencesandarapidlyadvancingandexpanding
areaofresearchandtechnologydevelopment.Europe
currentlyholdsaninternationallyleadingpositionin
boththedevelopmentaswellasthebiologicalapplicationsofALMmethods.Howevertomaintainthis
leadingpositionandtorealizethefullpotentialofALM
methodsforgeneratingknowledgethroughresearch
andforbenefitingsocietythroughtechnicaland
medicalinnovations,ALMneedsbettersupportand
organization.Thekeyconclusionsofthisreportcanbe
summarizedasfollows.
• Inmostcases,commercialALMtechnologiesbenefit
frombeingaccessibletoresearchersincorefacilities
withmoderateuserfees.
• Corefacilitieswillplayakeyroleintheresearch
infrastructurelandscapebyimprovingaccessto
ALMtechnology,trainingandsupportingusersand
facilitatingtechnologydevelopmentandcommercialization.
• Tofulfilthisrolenewfundingandevaluation
schemesforcorefacilitiesandtheirexpertstaffare
necessary
• Thevolumeofimagedataincreasesatunprecedentedspeedsandmakesstandardizationofsoftware
anddataformatsaswellasinvestmentinALM
relatedITinfrastructure,datarepositoriesandnew
analysistoolsahighpriority.
23
About Euro-BioImaging
When will Euro-BioImaging be launched
and its benefits realized?
Euro-BioImagingisalarge-scalepan-Europeanresearch
infrastructureprojectontheESFRIRoadmap.Itsmission
istoprovideaclearpathofaccesstoacompleterange
ofessentialimagingtechnologiesforeverybiologist
andbiomedicalscientistinEurope.Euro-BioImagingwill
deployadistributedbiologicalandbiomedicalimaging
infrastructureinEuropeinacoordinatedandharmonizedmanner.Byprovidingaccesstoandtraininginimagingtechnologies,andbysharingofbestpracticeand
imagedata,Euro-BioImagingwillbecomeanengine
thatwilldriveEuropeaninnovationinimagingresearch
andtechnologies.
Who is behind Euro-BioImaging?
PreparatoryPhasePartners
Euro-BioImaginghasastrongandgrowingsupporter
base.Theconsortiumoftheinitialprojectphaseis
scientificallycoordinatedbytheEuropeanMolecularBiologyLaboratory(EMBL,DE)andtheEuropean
InstituteforBiomedicalImagingResearch(EIBIR,AT).It
comprises39beneficiariesfrom15EuropeanMember
Statesandassociatedcountries,andmorethan180
associatedpartnersfrom26EuropeanMemberStates
andassociatedcountries.Euro-BioImagingisformally
endorsedbyover250universities,researchcouncils,
fundingbodies,ministries,andindustrypartners.
Collaborationwithnationalimagingcommunities
Furthermore,theEuro-BioImaginginfrastructureproject
isthedrivingforcetoorganizetheEuropeanbiological
andbiomedicalimaging.Thefirststepinthisprocessis
theself-organizationofnationalimaginginfrastructure
providersintheMemberStatestodefinetheirneeds
andcapabilities.ThesecondstepistoformapanEuropeancommunityofimaginginfrastructureprovidersfromtheMemberStatesthatsupportstheEuroBioImagingprinciplesofcoordinationandharmonized
infrastructuredeployment,openaccessandhighest
trainingstandards.
24
Preparatory Phase:2010-2013.
Aconstructionplanforapan-Europeanresearch
infrastructureforbiologicalandbiomedicalimaging
technologiesisdeveloped.Thelegal,governmentaland
financialframeworkforimplementationoftheEuroBioImaginginfrastructureisbeingestablished.Costs
are€7.9mwith€5.2mfundedbyanEUFramework
contract.
Construction Phase:2014-2017
TheEuro-BioImaginginfrastructurewillbedeployedby
eithernewlyconstructedormajorupgradesofexisting
facilitiesfundedmainlybyMemberStates.Totalanticipatedcostsareoftheorderofseveral€100m,butdue
tothemodularnatureofEuro-BioImaginginfrastructurenodes,investmentcanbescaledtonationalneeds
andcapabilities.
Operational Phase:2017onwards
Euro-BioImagingwillprovidetrainingprogrammesin
andaccesstostate-of-the-artimagingtechnologiesina
distributedinfrastructureofimagingfacilitiesthroughoutEurope.Operatingcostswillbeapproximately20%
ofconstructioncostperyeartoensurecontinuoustechnologyupgrades
andtheprovisionofhighlytrainedstaff.Qualityof
servicewillbecontinuouslyreviewed.FundingmechanismsthroughamixofEuropeanandMemberState
measureswillbelaidoutinthePreparatoryPhasebusinessplan.
Euro-BioImaging webpage and contact
www.eurobioimaging.eu
Dr.JanEllenberg(ScientificCoordinator,ALM)
Dr.AntjeKeppler(ProjectManager,ALM)
EuropeanMolecularBiologyLaboratory(EMBL)
Meyerhofstr.1,
D-69117Heidelberg
Tel.+496221387-8847
[email protected]
ACCESSTOIMAGINGTECHNOLOGIES:
IMAGINGDATA:
Euro-BioImagingwillallowscientistsfromallMemberStatestoaccessabroadrangeofcuttingedge
imagingtechnologiestheyrequirefortheirvaluable
biologicalormedicalresearch.Euro-BioImagingwill
guaranteethatinvestmentinimaginginfrastructure
isusedinthemostcost-effectiveandefficientway
byapplyingEuro-BioImagingqualitystandardsin
management,accessandserviceofimagingfacilities.
Biologicalandbiomedicalimagingwillbecome
oneofthemajordataproducersinthefutureand
researchersarefacingunprecedentedchallenges
concerningimagedatamanagementandanalysis.
TheEuro-BioImaginginfrastructurewillofferplatformsforstoring,sharingandprocessingbiological
andmedicalimagingdataonalargescale.
TRAINING:
Standardizedandhighqualityeducationoftomorrow’sscientistsinapplyingadvancedimagingtechnologiestostudythesinglecelltotheentirehuman
beingwillbeoneofthemajorchallengesinbiology
andmedicine.Specifictrainingprogrammesat
Euro-BioImagingfacilitieswillcomplementnational
effortsineducationandMemberStateswillbenefit
fromanincreaseinexpertise.
ECONOMICVALUE:
ImplementingtheEuro-BioImaginginfrastructure
withitsnodesindifferentregionsofEuropewill
bringnewjobopportunitiesandperspectivesfor
researchers,engineers,administrativeandrelated
staff.Thesepositiveeffectswillalsoradiateintothe
surroundingareasoftechnologydevelopmentand
services.
EUROPEANRESEARCHAREA:
Euro-BioImagingcloselycooperateswithallBiologicalandMedicalSciencesResearchInfrastructures
toovercomethefragmentationoftheEuropean
researchlandscape.
25
About ERA-Instruments
The programme
The ERA-Instruments website
Ithasbecomeincreasinglyobviousthatconceptsand
strategiesforresearchinfrastructure(RI)fundingshould
beharmonisedandcoordinatedwithintheEU.ESFRI
hasdeterminedrequirementsforEuropeanRIfunding
andhaspresentedaroadmap.Growingattentionis
paidtolifesciencesthatrelyonRIsofalesscentralised,
butmorenetworkeddimension.Thereisaclearneed
foractionintheinterdisciplinaryareabetweenphysics,
chemistry,biologyandmedicalsciencesascuttingedge
instrumentationbecomesincreasinglyexpensiveand,
yet,indispensable
forworld-classresearch.
ERA-InstrumentsisfundedunderFP-7throughthe
“capacities”specificprogramme.
However,promotionofresearchpolicies,apartfrom
theESFRIprojects,hasbeenrestrictedsofartonational
effortswithoutmanagingtheseactionswithaEuropeanview.Fundingandresearchorganisationscannot
affordtoremainatthenationalstagewithworld-wide
competitionforthebestscientistsandthemostpromisingprojects.Frontierresearchisinternationalsincelong
andfundingorganisationshavetofollowscientiststo
theEuropeanlevel.
26
www.era-instruments.eu
Contact to ERA-Instruments
JohannesJanssen
DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft(DFG)
Kennedyallee40
53175Bonn
Tel.+49228885-2430
Fax+49228885-2777
[email protected]
ERA-Instruments Partners
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany (Coordinator)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), United Kingdom
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy
Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l‘Energia e l‘Ambiente (ENEA), Italy
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Netherlands
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain
Archimedes Foundation, Estonia
The Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS), Iceland
The National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), Greece
Grantova agentura CR (GACR), Czech Republic
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO), Belgium
Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V. (Helmholtz), Germany
Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Trust), United Kingdom
Ministry for Science and Research (BMWF), Austria
Medical Research Council (MRC), United Kingdom
27
ERA-Instruments
Euro-BioImaging
Coordinator:
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Kennedyallee 40
53175 Bonn
Coordinator Light Microscopy:
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
(EMBL)
Meyerhofstr. 1
69117 Heidelberg
www.era-instruments.eu
www.eurobioimaging.eu
ERA-Instruments and Euro-BioImaging are supported
by the European Commission
within the Seventh Framework Programme,
Grant Agreement no. 211928 (ERA-Instruments)
Grant Agreement no. 262023 (Euro-BioImaging)