Delighted to renew our collaboration with India BioImaging

India BioImaging is one of Euro-BioImaging’s most long-standing international partners. Since 2013, Euro-BioImaging has had a collaboration agreement with India BioImaging, and has worked closely with India BioImaging for staff exchange and other opportunities. At this year’s India BioImaging Community (IBIAM 2025) meeting, we are pleased to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India BioImaging to strengthen our ongoing collaboration. We traveled to Mysuru, India, where the MoU was signed - and where our Bio-Hub Section Director, Antje Keppler, and Head of Image Data Services, Aastha Mathur, are representing Euro-BioImaging at IBIAM 2025.

Founded in 2012, India BioImaging (IBI) was envisioned to democratize access to cutting-edge microscopy technologies and harmonize imaging training opportunities across India. The mission is to advance the standards and capabilities of Indian bioimaging research by promoting the exchange of microscopy knowledge, fostering innovation, and facilitating the sharing of imaging resources and expertise nationwide.

A community in full expansion

IBI is gradually entering a new phase of revitalisation — uniting bioimaging stakeholders across the country with a renewed commitment to strengthening India’s imaging ecosystem. The network now encompasses 22 leading imaging core facilities across India, representing both private and government research institutions. These include facilities from basic and applied research institutions as well as clinical research institutions, with many more expected to join soon.

This growth follows the landmark revival meeting held in December 2024 at IISER Pune, organized in collaboration with Global BioImaging (GBI). The meeting marked a turning point for IBI, setting the stage for a more coordinated national effort in imaging infrastructure development and community building.

Renewing our collaboration

“Collaboration between India BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging dates way back to 2013,” says Antje Keppler, Euro-BioImaging Bio-Hub Section Director and Coordinator of Global BioImaging. "Along with our Australian partners, this interaction set the stage for the development of the Global BioImaging community, which has grown to represent 65 countries across the world. Right now, the Indian community is strengthening their internal ties and coordinating the extensive national community. We look forward to continuing to work together, learn from each other, exchange experience and ideas and provide open access services to researchers and imaging scientists from India.” 

“For Euro-BioImaging, the India BioImaging community is an important partner and there is a lot we can work on together. So I am really enjoying learning more about the IBI community at this meeting,”

-- Aastha Mathur, Head of Image Data Services at Euro-BioImaging

Indeed, there are many opportunities through Global BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging that are open to the Indian BioImaging community. For example, the Imaging 4 All initiative of Global BioImaging and the Wellcome Trust supports researchers in low- and middle-income countries with funding for imaging projects, training course attendance and hands on personalised skills training. These opportunities are available from facilities around the world, including Euro-BioImaging facilities. In addition, Global BioImaging offers job shadowing and Train-the-Trainer courses that members of the Indian community have taken advantage of. 

Aligning for training, career paths and more

“The MoU between India BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging will help both communities to align training programmes, exchange experience, and share best practices to achieve higher standards and accessibility of imaging resources. This is also an opportunity to learn from each other and develop meaningful career trajectories for imaging scientists at all levels, including facility staff,” says Aurnab Ghose, Professor, Department of Biology, IISER Pune.  

“For Euro-BioImaging, the India BioImaging community is an important partner and there is a lot we can work on together. So I am really enjoying learning more about the IBI community at this meeting,” says Aastha Mathur, Head of Image Data Services at Euro-BioImaging. "I definitely see potential for stronger collaboration with our Indian colleagues in the fields of FAIR image data production, management, and analysis.  There are also many opportunities for the community to join us, for example, our colleagues from IBI joined us at the foundingGIDE 2025 community event, around global data sharing, in Brisbane. In future, we hope to see IBI participation in  the Euro-BioImaging Image Data Community Days, an online event which takes place from April 13-17, 2026.”  

Working together to define career pathways is another area of interest covered by the collaboration agreement. As Santosh Podder Senior Technical Officer Microscopy Facility, IISER Pune, remarks  “This alliance between India BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging marks an important step in strengthening knowledge exchange, enhancing excellence in user access and training, and promoting best practices in operations and image data management. In doing so, it will further empower imaging scientists across both communities and support the development of strong, sustainable career pathways and high-quality research.”

Strengthening global science

We look forward to the next five years of collaboration with an ever stronger India BioImaging community. As Gunjan Mehta, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Hyderabad, concludes, “The collaboration between India BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging bridges continents through shared expertise and technology in BioImaging. Together, we empower scientists with open access to cutting-edge imaging infrastructure. This partnership strengthens global science and fosters innovation without borders.”