Bridging Nordic Microscopy Infrastructure, BNMI
In the last two decades, the development of imaging technologies has revolutionized research in biology and medicine, and it currently emerges as one of the most important areas in life sciences research. This has enabled both greater resolution and more quantitative imaging to study diverse biological processes. Techniques, such as super-resolution, light-sheet, expansion microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy and cellular 3D volume scanning electron microscopy are frequently identified as “method of the year” etc. Hence, modern microscopy has become a key technique and a powerful tool that provides important insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms throughout all branches of biological and medical research. Albeit, all these technologies and methods are well represented in all Nordic countries, networking between them seems to be weak.
The overall objective of Bridging Nordic Microscopy Infrastructure (BNMI) is to strengthen the international competitiveness and facilitating the development of world-leading Nordic advanced microscopy environments, by organizing scientific and technical Symposia, workshops and knowledge-exchange seminars, shadowing programs for facility staff and short-term scientific mobility grants for researchers and increase the training and innovation activities among the participant Nordic countries. Each partner representative and will partake in meetings to present and discuss the approach of their institute to the research topic. Combining the technologies and know-how will provide more solid base for future funding possibilities and strengthening the status of Nordic countries as imaging specialists.
All participating countries in this infrastructure; Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden have already established infrastructures and network organizations at national level that provide a full spectrum of biological imaging tools that are easily accessible for both academic and industry users. BNMI aims to become a new Nordic platform to facilitate more efficient collaboration and a long-term partnership between these countries. All these bioimaging infrastructures are united under the Euro-Bioimaging European Research Infrastructure Consortium leading the whole Europe working toward a better research, diagnostics and patient care.
In Denmark, the Danish Bioimaging network (www.danishbioimaging.dk) was created under a collaboration agreement between Aarhus University, Copenhagen University, Danish cancer Research Center, Danish technical University and Southern Denmark University. In DaMBIC at the Southern Denmark University offers CARS, SR, FLIM, RICS, and multiphoton. The University of Copenhagen Science Faculty (CAB) – offers confocal and multiphoton microscopes, functional microscopy, spinning disk, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as histology and preparation labs of samples for live cell imaging. The newly created facility in Aarhus University, Health Faculty, offering high content screening. The CFIM at University of Copenhagen Health Faculty offers confocal, super-resolution and functional microscopy, serial block face SEM, CryoTEM and TEM tomography. In addition, there is a strong computer science community focused on developing image-based applications.
In Iceland, the Biomedical Center, University of Iceland (BMC-UI) is an official collaboration between research groups working in biomedical molecular life sciences in Iceland across institutions (http://lifvisindi.hi.is/). The main goal of BMC-UI is to build core facilities, to unite researchers in Iceland under one umbrella to maximize the use of infrastructures and encourage collaborations across disciplines. Imaging is one of the major core facilities within BMC-UI which currently offers advanced capabilities in confocal and electron microscopy in addition to IncuCyte and EVOS imaging techniques. A project manager oversees training and use of the microscopes.
In Finland, the Finnish Advanced Microscopy Node (FiAM) is a national roadmap infrastructure offering open access to state-of-the-art biological imaging technologies, training, and image data analysis services. FiAM comprises nine imaging facilities hosted by the University of Helsinki, the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, and the University of Oulu, with the University of Eastern Finland and Tampere University as associate partners. As a multi-site, multimodal infrastructure, FiAM serves academic and industrial users locally and internationally. In Helsinki, four facilities focus on live cell imaging, volume electron microscopy (EM), correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), and high-throughput microscopy. In Turku, three facilities—jointly operated by Åbo Akademi University and the University of Turku—specialize in super-resolution light and EM techniques, including 3D STED, alongside data analysis and management services. The University of Oulu provides advanced mesoscopic imaging and a broad range of EM methods, while FiAM also develops and offers label-free imaging technologies. It operates in close collaboration with the Finnish Biomedical Imaging Node; together, they form Euro-BioImaging Finland, a national roadmap infrastructure and lighthouse supported by the Research Council of Finland.
In Norway, the Norwegian Advanced Light Microscopy Imaging Infrastructure network (NALMIN) is now well established with imaging centers at all life science research organizations (http://nalmin.no). NALMIN offers access to and services within the most advanced technologies in light microscopy, including super-resolution microscopy, fast live microscopy, coherent Raman microscopy, correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) and High throughput microscopy. Localized in 5 nodes distributed in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø, NALMIN is a bona fide national infrastructure network. Because the different nodes provide different specialties in light microscopy, NALMIN offers access to a wide spectrum of advanced microscopy applications and thus makes Norwegian research environment more competitive for international publications and funding.
In Sweden, the Swedish National Microscopy Infrastructure (NMI), (http://nmisweden.se/) has been established as a distributed infrastructure with specialized nodes at the Stockholm University, University of Gothenburg, Umeå University, Uppsala University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), with the mission to provide access to advanced technology and competence in microscopy for the local, national, and international life sciences users from academia and industry. NMI was funded by the Swedish Research Council in 2016 and receives substantial support from the hosting universities. Each node has a defined operation and specialty: KTH, Super-resolution microscopy, FCS, Light-sheet and Cell profiling; GU, Correlative Multimodal Imaging; SU, Intravital microscopy; UmU, Correlative microscopy and Electron tomography; UU, image and data analysis. All nodes have supporting functions (cell culture, sample prep laboratories etc.) as well as a full range of conventional microscopes, which are a prerequisite to support projects in the specialised techniques. The NMI nodes are supported by an administrative team that is responsible for project management, the project web portal, the web site, software license servers and data handling. They also coordinate activity of NMI support users in finding the best technology for their research questions and also to combine techniques from different nodes
BNMI-II Gender Equality Plan
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NorMIC-Oslo Imaging Platform
Department of Biosciences
Oddmund Bakke, Project leader
University of Oslo, PB 1041 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo