The French National Research Infrastructure for Biological Imaging

France-BioImaging is a National Infrastructure in Biology and Health (INBS) laureate in 2011 of the national Program “Investissements d’Avenir” (PIA-ANR) in the field of biological imaging. FBI is at the crossroads between molecular and cell biology, biophysics and engineering, mathematics and informatics. This unique coordinated infrastructure gathers several large biological imaging facilities and laboratories specializing in R&D for imaging in 10 local and one transversal Nodes. France-BioImaging aims at creating the most efficient adoption of the latest advances in all technologies and methods related to microscopy, by the users of the imaging facilities. These technologies and methods, reinforced by a strong support in computational analysis, provide quantitative measures and integrative understanding of a wide range of cell and tissue activities in biological models, from the simplest, to small animals in normal and pathological situations.

Innovation – Training – Access

France BioImaging in numbers

  • 26 Imaging Core Facilities
  • 80 associated R&D teams
  • 4641 on-site users in 2022
  • 3080 users trained on available technologies in 2022
Quand la chimie transcende la lignine ! 2 © Clémence Simon, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, UMR8576

Areas of expertise

  • Single Particle Tracking & Super Resolution
  • Multimodal & Quantitative fluorescence Microscopies
  • Cryo Electron Microscopy
  • Multiscale & Correlative Microscopy
  • New Contrast & In-Depth Imaging
  • Precinical In Vivo Imaging
  • High Throughput & High Content Screening
  • Probe development, Optomanipulation & Optogenetics
  • BioImage Informatics, Image Processing & Data Management
Technologies provided on FBI core facilities
© Olga Nagy – Institute Jacques Mondod, CNRS, Drosophila Evolution Group - ImagoSeine

Main missions

  • Give access to state of the art and innovative imaging approaches
  • Investigate new issues in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics & computer science
  • Speed up technology transfer
  • Act as a central hub for collaborative projects
  • Organize, support and disseminate activities in the field
  • Participate to national & international educational & training programs