Preliminary Detailed Programme

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility: a knowledge hub for industry

Synchrotron light sources the world over are driving forwards innovation thanks to their unique capabilities provided by intense X-ray beams. Stakeholders are demanding increased economic return and part of this is a stronger engagement with industry. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is no exception to this and is integral to advancing life sciences by actively engaging with both academic and industrial partners. Offering full access to all beamlines and services for publishable research and commercial innovation, ESRF provides a unique platform for cutting-edge research. This presentation will delve into how ESRF’s advanced synchrotron technologies, particularly the Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS), are harnessed in collaboration with industry to drive innovation in life sciences. Key projects will be highlighted, illustrating the application of these technologies in areas such as drug discovery, structural biology and biotechnology, as well as from areas outside of life sciences and where new services have been created and tailored for industry. Additionally, the presentation will address the barriers and challenges faced in these collaborations, looking at the complexities of integrating synchrotron science into industrial research and development.

Euro-BioImaging – facilitating multimodal imaging across Europe

Johanna Bischof

Euro-BioImaging ERIC

Euro-BioImaging – as a European Research Infrastructure – offers all scientists open access to a large portfolio of imaging instruments, expertise, training opportunities, and image data services. The technologies offered by Euro-BioImaging can be accessed at Euro-BioImaging Nodes, which comprise more than 200 internationally renowned imaging facilities distributed across Europe. They cover the whole spectrum of biological and biomedical imaging, from the molecular to the human scale. In addition to access to cutting-edge instruments, the Euro-BioImaging Nodes provide expertise, guidance and training on all aspects of the imaging experiment – from experimental design and sample preparation to image analysis services, including on external data.

All scientists, regardless of affiliation, area of expertise, or field of activity, can benefit from Euro-BioImaging’s pan-European open access services and funding for user access is available. 

With its broad portfolio of imaging technologies and consortium of expert facilities, Euro-BioImaging actively supports researchers in applying multimodal and correlative imaging to their research question.

For the technical experts at imaging core facilities, Euro-BioImaging provides a cross-European network and platform for exchange of experience, as well as new training opportunities. This network of technical experts facilitates cross-facility collaborations, imaging workflows, and technical innovations.
 

How to make easier to include several core facilities in research projects?

Fernando Peláez

Biotechnology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain

Cutting-edge biomedical research relies heavily in the use of increasingly complex technologies. Multidisciplinary approaches to a given biological problem have become the norm and are usually demanded by top journals to warrant publication of research results. In this context, CFs play a critical role in research institutions to ensure high-quality access to those technologies. However, we often see that the outstanding potential of CFs is not fully realized and there are projects that do not take all the advantage from such diversity of approaches and technologies, which often involves several CFs working in a coordinated manner. Why is this the case?

Experimental design is usually done by researchers with a limited knowledge of technologies, or with a strong bias towards any particular discipline. They may or may not be aware of the potential advantage or applications of some technologies to address their questions of interest. CF heads can play an essential role to fill that gap of knowledge. It is of paramount importance to generate a culture in the organizations by which the input and advice of CF heads can be gathered early enough in the life cycle of projects to ensure optimal planning, as well as coordination among the CFs. Likewise, it is important to have a flexible organization that facilitate the cooperation of different CFs working on the same project without impediments.

Some examples of successful projects ran at CNIO which took advantage of multiple technologies involving different CFs will be described.