Record funding for Finnish bioimaging brings new possibilities

Euro-BioImaging Finland consists of the best imaging units from seven universities and three university hospitals. The services of the research infrastructure cover 56 technologies ranging from laser microscopy of individual molecules to PET imaging of an entire human. The infrastructure is coordinated by Turku BioImaging, a joint unit of Åbo Akademi University and University of Turku, and it belongs to the pan-European Euro-BioImaging organization. Oulu university member in the network is Oulu BioImaging, which consists of Biocenter Oulu light microscopy and electron microscopy core facilities.

Euro-BioImaging Finland has reason to celebrate, as it received record funding of about 28 million euros from the Research Council of Finland. The funding is related to the infrastructure being selected to the national roadmap of research infrastructures 2025-2028. In addition, Euro-BioImaging Finland has been chosen as one of Finland’s “lighthouses”. Lighthouses are Finland’s highest quality infrastructures – forerunners with broad societal impact. There are only six lighthouses in Finland.

With the 28-million-euro funding from the Research Council of Finland, Euro-BioImaging Finland will develop new imaging technologies and services, and new methods based on artificial intelligence. The funding also opens up new opportunities in Oulu.

"In Oulu, the equipment acquisitions enabled by the funding allow for rapid 3D imaging of biological samples using light microscopy and provide new tools for the methodological development of mesoscale imaging," says Ilkka Miinalainen, Head of the Electron Microscopy Core Facility at Biocenter Oulu.

"On the electron microscopy side, we are able to image demanding and delicate biological samples with significantly improved precision, and we can also further develop — and above all, accelerate — volume EM techniques based on serial sectioning. The acquired equipment is complementary and particularly beneficial for projects where we can combine and correlate data from both light and electron microscopy."

All services of Euro-BioImaging Finland are openly accessible to everyone. Annually, the infrastructure is used by thousands of scientists around Finland and the world, and dozens of companies ranging from small startups to international pharma giants. The infrastructure does over 11 % of all European top imaging. In addition to Euro-BioImaging Finland, Finland hosts the entire international Euro-BioImaging infrastructure, with the headquarters in Turku leading the international organization operating in 19 countries.

“One can say with good reason that Finland is a superpower of imaging,” says Euro-BioImaging Finland director Pasi Kankaanpää from Turku BioImaging.

Euro-BioImaging Finland has a central role in for instance drug development and the diagnostics and treatment of diseases, as well as in basic research in several scientific fields. The organization produces 10-20 significant innovations every year, the best of which are commercialized.

The kick-off meeting of the renewed Euro-BioImaging Finland was held on 4th April at the University of Helsinki.

“Euro-BioImaging Finland is now larger than ever before, and for the first time biological and medical imaging operate very closely together, with joint funding,” says Kankaanpää.