France‑BioImaging’s impact is anchored in its ability to provide researchers nationwide with access to advanced biological imaging technologies and expert support. As a national infrastructure composed of 30 IBiSA-labelled core facilities and R&D laboratories, it supports thousands of users annually across diverse fields such as development, marine biology, agronomy, disease biology, neuroscience and more.
Notably, being a laureate of the France Innovation 2030 plan, FBI secured substantial funding in 2024 – 1.9 M€ for rejuvenating existing platforms and 7.3 M€ dedicated to new imaging technologies through the BIOGEN project – advancing super-resolution, light sheet, correlative microscopy, high-content screening and preclinical imaging.
Through these investments and strategic R&D collaborations, FBI:
- Enhances technology transfer,
- Stimulates innovation,
- Promotes reproducible, high-quality imaging workflows.
France-BioImaging significantly amplifies scientific and societal impact by serving a diverse and growing user community, both academic and industrial. On the academic side, over 7,000 national users and dozens of international researchers engage annually with FBI’s advanced imaging technologies, covering fields from cell and developmental biology to neuroscience, virology, and bioinformatics. The infrastructure’s openness and support, including competitive calls for access and dedicated training programs, foster research excellence and inclusivity — for instance, through Africa-France BioImaging calls and Imaging4ALL initiatives that enable researchers from LMICs to address critical questions in health and food security.
On the industrial side, FBI actively collaborates with a wide spectrum of sectors: 58% in health and medical innovation (oncology, drug development, regenerative medicine), 17% in cosmetics, 14% in materials science (including aerospace, automotive and electronics), and 11% in agroecology. Through its Industry Contact Officer (ICO) and participation in leading B2B events (e.g., RDV Carnot, Biofit, Meet2Win), FBI promotes co-development projects, service contracts and knowledge transfer, leading to dozens of collaborations each year, patents and start-up creation. These efforts position FBI as a strategic bridge between cutting-edge imaging science and concrete applications addressing major societal challenges, from sustainable agriculture to advanced healthcare.
By embedding its mission within EU programs (e.g., INFRATECH-ANERIS for marine biodiversity and INFRASERV-AGROSERV for agroecological transition) and international networks like Global BioImaging, FBI strengthens its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and France 2030 priorities. Its scientific output — nearly 2,000 publications since 2013 — is cited in policy documents from global organizations like WHO and FAO, illustrating FBI’s role in translating scientific innovation into societal benefit
