CORBEL: Supporting advanced interdisciplinary research in Europe

Since 2015, Euro-BioImaging has proudly participated in the Horizon 2020-funded cluster project CORBEL (Coordinated Research Infrastructures Building Enduring Life-Science Services), along with 12 other life science research infrastructures (LS RIs). The ambitious goal of the CORBEL project was to facilitate user access across different RIs, involving multiple scientific fields and a broad range of technologies and services. By coordinating activities across RIs, CORBEL set out to build joint services for the life sciences. As the project closed on May 31st,  2020, we want to thank the European Commission, the other Research Infrastructures (our partners) and all the scientists who brought such exciting research projects to our facilities. Dr. Frauke Leitner, Scientific Project Manager at the Euro-BioImaging Hub, looks back on some of the project’s successful moments. 

Today’s scientists work in a complex world where multidisciplinary/cross-disciplinary studies based on new technologies are often required. Increasing cooperation between institutions and disciplines is necessary. The CORBEL consortium facilitated access to the participating research infrastructures, supporting scientists in performing advanced interdisciplinary research. 

Exciting research projects

In two Open Calls for research projects – co-organized by Euro-BioImaging - almost 40 user projects were selected and granted access, free of charge, to at least two RIs of their choice.  Here, Euro-BioImaging by far was the most requested research infrastructure. With the help of these user projects, CORBEL tackled the challenges in joint service provision across institutes and establishing the long-term sustainability of harmonized access to multiple RIs for the benefit of European life science research. 

A common access portal

A common access portal for the Open Calls and an authorisation/authentication infrastructure was also developed, and the consortium worked on data management issues that the various scientific disciplines need to address together. CORBEL also offered common ethical and legal services as well as innovation support to the European life science community.

 Collaboration agreements

Long-term collaboration agreements between the research infrastructures that participated in the project is a final, important result of the project. For example, Euro-BioImaging has signed collaboration agreements with EU-Openscreen ERIC, Instruct-ERIC, and EMBRC-ERIC, which all participated in the CORBEL project. These collaboration agreements show our commitment to continued excellence in interdisciplinary research.

Read more about Euro-BioImaging’s collaboration with other RIs: https://www.eurobioimaging.eu/about-us/collaborations-with-our-partner-ris

Download the brochure: https://www.corbel-project.eu/fileadmin/corbel/media/docs/News_Events/AdvancementOfScience-Broschure_2020-01-21.pdf

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