Challenges and opportunities for bioimage analysis core‐facilities.

Recent advances in microscopy imaging and image analysis motivate more and more institutes worldwide to establish dedicated core‐facilities for bioimage analysis. To maximise the benefits research groups at these institutes gain from their core‐facilities, they should be established to fit well into their respective environment. In this article, we introduce common collaborator requests and corresponding potential services core‐facilities can offer. We also discuss potential competing interests between the targeted missions and implementations of services to guide decision makers and core‐facility founders to circumvent common pitfalls. LAY DESCRIPTION: Bioimage analysis has become a field of research which is essential for driving current scientific projects and discoveries in the life sciences. It is a fast‐moving, diverse and highly multidisciplinary domain. Hence, single individuals that are proficient in analysing image data are scarce and often overwhelmed with providing support for their local communities while also developing their individual career paths. To support these talents, their knowledge and expertise, institutes and decision makers are increasingly creating core‐facilities for bioimage analysis. The success of a core‐facility to preserve, incubate and spread knowledge in bioimage analysis can be ensured by providing an appropriate set of services the core‐facility offers. In our manuscript, we summarise the requirements which a bioimage analysis core‐facilities are confronted with, and the services it can provide to satisfy these. We introduce categories of services in order to help core‐facility founders, members and decision makers to define their strategy and tailor their core‐facilities towards the specific needs of their local communities. Lastly, we summarise a set of competing interests which may arise in the process of shaping or managing a core‐facility and provide argumentative support towards their resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Microscopy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)