The new EMBL Imaging Centre is expected to welcome its first users in a pilot phase later this summer, followed by the first open call for users in autumn 2021. EMBL director general Edith Heard says: “The opening at EMBL’s main site in Heidelberg, Germany, is an important moment for the European science community. Research in the life sciences is being revolutionized by advances in imaging, genomics, and gene editing, and provision of access to advanced technologies is key to enabling scientific progress.”

“I hope that the EMBL Imaging Centre will play a significant role in shaping a new era in the life sciences, and that scientists from many different areas will benefit from it. EMBL has pioneered many of the imaging technologies that scientists use today, and the Imaging Centre will provide a unique opportunity to benefit from such technology development,” the professor continued.

The Imaging Centre will offer the most advanced high-resolution electron and light microscopy technologies, including academically developed methods that are not yet commercially available, and will build on EMBL’s decades-long history of world-class service provision for life science research.

A governance and advisory structure for the centre has been established to help ensure that the highest possible scientific and technical standards are achieved, and to ensure that EMBL can obtain independent external advice on technology strategy as well as the project prioritization of the new service unit.

An International Microscopy Advisory Panel will offer EMBL external advice on strategic issues, including technology development. An independent external Project Evaluation Committee with broad representation from EMBL’s member states will provide scientific evaluation and ranking of project proposals from users.

Dr Jan Ellenberg has been appointed as head of the center, in addition to his role as head of EMBL’s cell biology and biophysics unit. He says: “EMBL is now approaching globally recognized life science experts to serve on the Advisory Panel and Evaluation Committee, and we expect to confirm the membership in the coming weeks.”

Dr Christoph Mueller was named as deputy head, in addition to his role as head of EMBL’s structural and computational biology unit. EMBL’s director of scientific services and core facilities Dr Rainer Pepperkok will lead the service provision aspects of the center.

The creation of the Imaging Centre was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Wuerttemberg, with donations by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and Heidelberg Cement, as well as in-kind contributions by EMBL industry partners Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Leica Microsystems, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Abberior Instruments.