Global BioImaging Advance the Conversation on Sustainable Biomedical Imaging Facilities

How can biomedical imaging facilities remain scientifically excellent while becoming more financially, environmentally, and operationally sustainable? These questions were at the heart of the recent webinar on Sustainable Biomedical Imaging Facilities, organised by the Global BioImaging Biomedical Imaging Working Group.

The webinar brought together the winners of the Global BioImaging Sustainathon, who presented practical strategies for building resilient and sustainable imaging facilities across different research environments. Their innovative approaches demonstrated that sustainability extends far beyond environmental considerations, encompassing business planning, infrastructure development, workforce capacity, data management, and strategic partnerships.

Participants heard from the three winning teams:

🏆 UI/UCH-Ibadan (Nigeria) – AI-powered brownfield retrofit and EaaS model for LMICs

🏆 Multimodal Preclinical Imaging Facility (Scotland) – Sustainable PET/MRI/CT/Ultrasound facility model

🥈 DB Imaging (Australia) – 10-year financial sustainability plan for a preclinical imaging facility 

Together, these examples illustrate the diversity of approaches that can help imaging facilities remain innovative, accessible, and resilient while continuing to support high-quality research.

If you missed the live event (or would like to revisit the presentations) the webinar recording is now available on YouTube.

The webinar also marked the beginning of a broader community effort. The Global BioImaging Biomedical Imaging Working Group is inviting members of the imaging community to contribute to the development of a joint recommendations paper on sustainable biomedical imaging facilities. Working Group members will have the opportunity to share their expertise, exchange best practices, and contribute as co-authors to this collaborative publication. The initiative already includes active participation from several members of the Euro-BioImaging community, reinforcing Euro-BioImaging’s commitment to advancing sustainable, high-quality imaging infrastructures through international collaboration.

Researchers, facility managers, and imaging professionals interested in helping shape future recommendations for sustainable imaging infrastructures are warmly encouraged to join the Working Group.