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- Euro-BioImaging Spain is officially launched as the Spanish node of Europe’s leading bioimaging research infrastructure.
- IRB Barcelona’s Advanced Digital Microscopy Core Facility, led by Julien Colombelli, contributes through two national access nodes.
- The initiative boosts open access to cutting-edge imaging technologies and reinforces Spain’s position in the European research landscape.
Last Friday, Euro-BioImaging Spain was officially launched as the Spanish Node of Euro-BioImaging ERIC, Europe’s distributed research infrastructure for advanced imaging in biomedical, biological, preclinical, and clinical research. The initiative provides open access to state-of-the-art imaging technologies and specialised expertise, strengthening international collaboration and expanding opportunities for researchers across the country.
Within this new framework, the Advanced Digital Microscopy Facility at IRB Barcelona plays a key role, reflecting the Institute’s strong commitment to excellence in imaging services and to reinforcing Spain’s position within the European bioimaging community. Led by Julien Colombelli, the facility contributes to Euro-BioImaging Spain through two Access Nodes: the Barcelona Mesoscopic Imaging Node and the Barcelona Live and Intravital Imaging Node. Through these nodes, IRB Barcelona offers cutting-edge imaging technologies and expert support, enabling researchers to address complex biological questions—from large-scale tissue analysis to dynamic live and intravital microscopy.
“At IRB Barcelona, we contribute to Euro-BioImaging Spain through two nodes that allow us to provide open access to advanced imaging technologies. These nodes link IRB Barcelona with the University of Barcelona and the CRG on the one hand, and with ICFO on the other, reflecting how collaboration between institutions is essential to make top-level research infrastructures available to the scientific community,” says Julien Colombelli, Head of the Advanced Digital Microscopy Facility at IRB Barcelona.
The Euro-BioImaging Spain Kick-off Meeting, held on 20 February at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Barcelona), formally introduced this coordinated national structure. Conceived not only as a scientific meeting but also as a strategic milestone, the event brought together imaging nodes, core facilities, researchers, and technology developers to define the framework for national coordination and outline future directions.
The meeting also highlighted the added value of Spain’s participation in Euro-BioImaging, underlining how the infrastructure benefits both users and facilities through harmonised standards, advanced training, technology exchange, and integration into a strong international network.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
