The EVOLVE User Exchange-Of-Experience workshop on Remote Access: Defining best practices for Remote Access in scientific imaging

On Tuesday, September 23, at 15:00 CEST, Euro-BioImaging ERIC organised a User Exchange-Of-Experience workshop on Remote Access under the framework of the EVOLVE project (101130986). 

This User Exchange-of-Experience Workshop on Remote Access featured joint presentations by facility experts Eija Jokitalo (Finnish Advanced Microscopy Node) and Martina Capozza (Multi-Modal Molecular Imaging (MMMI) Italian Node), together with users Uriel Koziol (Universidad de la República, Montevideo) and François Lux (University of Lyon 1). Facility experts showcased their infrastructures and the available remote access modalities, while users shared their experiences, highlighting the benefits they have gained as well as the challenges, limitations, and bottlenecks they encountered.

Showcasing facility perspectives

The Italian Multi-Modal Molecular Imaging (MMMI) Node presented by Martina Capozza demonstrated a mature and efficient model for enabling preclinical imaging at a distance. Their remote access workflow includes early online discussions to shape each project, shipment of user samples, and facility-executed experiments carried out in close consultation with users. Image data are then returned for analysis, with collaborative interpretation provided when relevant. This model shows how complex research can be supported remotely while maintaining scientific rigor and active engagement between users and facility staff.

Eija Jokitalo highlighted how the Advanced Microscopy Finland Node has adapted technically demanding workflows such as vEM and CLEM for remote users. To support multi-step, recurring processes at a distance, the Node invested in cameras mounted on preparation equipment and stereoscopes for real-time visual guidance, developed detailed protocols and video tutorials, and maintained hybrid communication via email, video calls, and live consultation. These solutions make advanced EM technologies accessible to researchers worldwide, even when many decisions must be made throughout the workflow.

User Experiences and impact

François Lux from the University of Lyon described his long-term collaboration with the MMMI Italian Node, involving three Euro-BioImaging-supported projects on injectable hydrogels and nanoparticles for cancer therapy. Francois emphasized the value of sustained remote collaboration built on trust, highlighting smooth logistics from initial discussions and material shipment to repetitive feedback and joint data interpretation. The partnership led to high-impact publications and ongoing scientific progress, illustrating that remote access can reinforce rather than diminish collaborative strength.

Uriel Koziol of Universidad de la Republica Montevideo, Uruguay, shared his experience working with the Finnish Advanced Microscopy Node to study tapeworm development. His team fixed samples locally and shipped them to Finland, where regions of interest were selected collaboratively via Zoom and email. Long-term vEM acquisitions proceeded autonomously once configured, and segmentation was carried out jointly across two continents. This case showed that even highly specialized imaging workflows can be effectively adapted for remote access, enabling complex international collaborations.

Common themes and emerging best practices

Across discussions, participants agreed that remote access is technically feasible for most imaging workflows, but it places particular demands on operations. Successful remote collaboration requires increased staff involvement, careful planning and scheduling, consistent and clear communication, and the development of a shared technical “language” between users and facility staff. Many facilities noted that hybrid models where an initial onsite visit is followed by sustained remote collaboration are especially effective for building trust and ensuring users understand the workflow.

Logistical and administrative challenges emerged as the most significant non-scientific challenges. Unpredictable customs procedures, shipping delays, concerns about sample stability during transport, and the complexity of international invoicing all add layers of uncertainty. While these hurdles can be managed, they demand flexibility, contingency planning, and open communication between users and facilities to avoid disruptions.

Last but not least, cost and effort considerations also featured prominently in the discussion. Several facilities observed that the cost of remote and onsite access is often similar, since staff must operate instruments in both cases. As a result, the focus shifts to ensuring clarity from the start: establishing expectations early, communicating workflows transparently, and agreeing on how facility staff contributions will be acknowledged in publications.

Reflecting on Remote Access

The workshop reinforced that remote access is no longer a temporary solution but a sustainable, valuable mode of scientific collaboration. For many projects especially those involving biosafety restrictions, high travel costs, or unique expertise, remote access is the only viable option.

Scientific challenges are largely solvable. What remains are human and administrative aspects: building trust, managing logistics, and maintaining communication.

The collective experiences shared during the workshop show that Remote access is now an integral part of Euro-BioImaging’s mission and that our community is already developing a culture of openness and problem-solving that enables remote access to thrive.

Article contributed by Ayoub El Ghadraoui