Biological and Medical Sciences

Agronomy, Forestry, Plant Breeding Centres

Facilities that enable open field and forest experiments to test the impact of management practices and of environmental conditions on soil, crop, and primary production. These include plants and trees ex-situ collections, experimental facilities for controlled crosses and propagation, and population genetics field testing. The facilities are relevant for Biological- and Environmental Sciences.

Animal Facilities

Facilities that provide husbandry of animals and services to the biomedical research community, usually equipped with highly automated systems that provide the best possible conditions for animal reproduction and maintenance. The main activity is the reproduction and maintenance of animal stocks either of inbred strains or genetically engineered animals, such as transgenic and knockout mouse lines, or even chemically-induced mutants.

Collections of Biological Resources (e.g. Microorganisms, Biobanks and Seed Banks)

Facilities for storage of collections of microorganisms, biological material and the associated data and information facilities for a population or a large subset of a population, maintained under controlled conditions (temperature, humidity, atmosphere, etc.).

Bio-Informatics Facilities

Bioinformatics facilities generate knowledge through computer analysis of biological data. These can consist of the information stored in the genetic code, but also experimental results from various sources, patient statistics, and scientific literature. Research in bioinformatics includes method development for storage, retrieval, and analysis of the data. Bioinformatics is a rapidly developing branch of biology and is highly interdisciplinary, using techniques and concepts from informatics, statistics, mathematics, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and linguistics. It has many practical applications in different areas of biology and medicine.

Biological/Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology/Nanotechnology Research Facilities

Facilities that are dedicated to application of concepts and methods of bioscience and/or nanoscience, and/or use of living systems and organisms to develop solutions to problems in lifeand preclinical sciences using engineering methodologies.

Biomedical Imaging Facilities

Facilities which are equipped for visualisation, characterisation, and measurement of biological processes at the cellular and tissue levels in humans and other living systems.

Cell Culture Facilities

Facilities that are equipped to provide robust support for isolation and culture of a variety of cell lines (like mammalian and insect cell lines, mouse and human embryonic stem cells), including serum preparation, feeders, growth factors and mycoplasma testing, this may be on serum-based or serum-free media.

Clinical Research Centres

Facilities that support patient-oriented research, involving a particular person or group of people or using materials from humans. This research can include: studies of mechanisms of human disease; studies of therapies or interventions for disease; clinical trials; studies to develop new technology related to disease

Environmental Health Research Facilities

Environmental health research addresses all potential hazards caused to a human being or an animal by external physical, chemical, and biological factors, and all the related factors impacting behaviours. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. This definition excludes behaviour not related to environment, as well as behaviour related to the social and cultural environment, and genetics. This category includes toxicology and infectious diseases facilities as well as epidemiological study centres.

Genomic, Transcriptomic, Proteomics and Metabolomics Facilities

Multiple sites ranging from single laboratory DNA sequencing and RNA transcript analysis facilities run by biologists for their own department's research to high-throughput facilities aimed at providing a sophisticated service for a broad community of biologists run by informaticians, biologists and engineers. Proteomics: physical chemistry developments for clinical and biological applications getting access to proteins network linked to the physiological and pathological stated of the cells. This includes nutrigenomics research.

Structural Biology Facilities

Facilities which are equipped for visualisation, characterisation, and measurement of biological processes at the molecular level in humans and other living systems. Main technologies include protein crystallisation, X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, DSC.

Systems Biology/Computational Biology Facilities

Laboratories that combine all relevant scientific disciplines and the know-how to integrate experimental data with computational and theoretical approaches with the aim of targeting, understanding and engineering pathways, cells, organs and complete organisms.

Telemedicine Laboratories and E-Health Technologies

E-Health is an emerging concept relating to the use of networked digital ICTs (primarily the Internet) to facilitate the organisation & delivery of health care and services. It encompasses applications for providers and organisations (e.g. for storing, exchanging and using clinical or administrative data, or aiding evidence-based practice) and for citizens and patients (e.g. webbased health information, education, virtual consulting), as well as research applications of eHealth technologies.

Translational Research Centres

Translational Research Centres support the integration of evidence based medicine, social sciences and political sciences with the aim of optimising patient care and preventive measures which may extend beyond healthcare services. This is the process of turning appropriate biological discoveries into drugs and medical devices that can be used in the treatment of patients