Euro-BioImaging & Nor-BioImaging
MIC is part of an Expression of Interest application to Euro-BioImaging (EBI) in collaboration with facilities in Trondheim and Oslo. Status of Aug 2013 is that the application was positively evaluated in EBI.
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Euro‐BioImaging is a large‐scale pan‐European research infrastructure project on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap. The mission is to build a distributed imaging infrastructure across Europe that will provide open access to innovative biological and medical imaging technologies for European researchers. The project is funded by the EU and currently the consortium is finalizing the basic principles for the operation of future EBI organisation.
The infrastructure established by EBI will consist of a set of geographically distributed but strongly interlinked imaging facilities (EBI Nodes), which are currently being selected among the leading European imaging facilities based on an independent evaluation process.
By providing access to and training in imaging technologies, and by sharing of best practice and image data, EBI will become an engine that will drive European innovation in imaging research and technologies.
More information on EBI can be found here.
Nor-BioImaging was established in 2011 as the Norwegian national participant organization towards EBI, and replaced the former NorMIC consortium for advanced light microscopy and molecular imaging. The mandate for Nor-BioImaging was approved by the six universities and the five university hospitals in Norway, and all these institutions have appointed members to the Nor-BioImaging board.
At the Nor-BioImaging Board meeting Febr. 11th 2013, it was decided that three of the major Norwegian imaging centres (Oslo: Leader Ole Sejersted; Trondheim: Leader Olav Haraldseth; Bergen: Leader Frits Thorsen), focusing on molecular small animal imaging, should prepare a joint Expression of Interest application to EBI, to become a multi-site Node in Multimodal Molecular Imaging.
An Expression of Interest application for becoming a Node was sent April 30th 2013, describing a Norwegian Multimodal Molecular Imaging Node with MRI as a unifying technology, with main focus on heart imaging (Oslo), cancer imaging (Bergen) and brain imaging (Trondheim).
During late summer 2013, the Expression of Interest application was positively evaluated by independent experts in EBI, and in the coming months, Nor-BioImaging will work on legal aspects and financing issues, to become a fully member of EBI.