The Node upgrade process is a process by which existing Euro-BioImaging Nodes can add additional facilities to their Node, expanding the infrastructure by onboarding additional excellent imaging facilities into existing organised Nodes and access structures. In early 2025, France-BioImaging applied for a Node upgrade, to add 10 facilities to its existing infrastructure, representing two geographically centralised national sub-Nodes in the Normandy and Rhone-Alpes regions. After a stringent review by our Scientific Advisory Board, the application was approved by the Euro-BioImaging Board in May 2025, bringing the total number of facilities that are part of Euro-BioImaging ERIC to 247.
As part of Euro-BioImaging ERIC, the services provided by these facilities will be open to all scientists, regardless of their discipline or affiliation, making more imaging tools and expertise available to a broader user community. We congratulate France-BioImaging on this successful Node upgrade and look forward to fruitful collaboration and exchange with our new colleagues working at these facilities.
The Rhone-Alpes sub-Node is composed of two centers: LyMIC in Lyon and ISdV in Grenoble. Gathered into one entity, LyMIC consists of three core facilities providing advanced photonic, atomic force and advanced electron microscopies. ISDV comprises six facilities covering photonic microscopy and electron microscopy expertise.
Six R&D teams complete and support the facilities, located at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS, Lyon); Grenoble Institute for Neuroscience (GIN, Grenoble); Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB, Grenoble); Institut Lumière Matière (ILM, Lyon); Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de Physique (LiPhy, Grenoble).
The Rhone-Alpes sub-Node has key expertise in approaches to study biomechanical and bio-elastic properties, adaptive optics development, sophisticated large data analysis from 3D mapping gene transcript to thick FIB-SEM data, and dynamic imaging of metabolites.
The Normandie Node is composed of one imaging facility,called PRIMACEN (HeRacLeS, US 51-UAR 2026, with user service, research and development activities), and six highly visible R&D teams (SFR IRIB, NORVEGE, INC3M, SCALE and BB@C) who are experts in microscopy techniques, controls and tools. Mainly located in Rouen and distributed to Caen and Le Havre, the Normandie node is offering high level technical and innovative methodological expertise in multi-scale imaging (TEM, STED, FLIM, TIRF, 2P, LSM…) at the interface between physiology, biology, chemistry, bioimage analysis, from the molecule to the small animal/plant. The Normandie Node has expertise in vascular sciences, microalgal biosciences and intercellular communication.
Moreover, the Normandy sub-Node runs the International master program in Cell Imaging (IMAC) where students are intensively trained on PRIMACEN equipment and have the opportunity to go abroad including Finland thanks to a tight cooperation across Euro-BioImaging Nodes offering Master’s programs in imaging.
This Node Upgrade brings the Euro-BioImaging French Node into alignment with the national France BioImaging community and forms its final perimeter with the integration of these 2 new FBI nodes. The upgraded French Node now gathers 10 geographical nodes, ensuring broad geographical territory coverage and national coordination and alignment across the community.
November 6, 2025
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