Helsinki Functional Imaging Center (HFIC)

Helsinki Functional Imaging Center (HFIC) is an infrastructure that unites a comprehensive array of imaging centers, providing expertise and access to high-end state-of-the-art imaging equipment, from optical, electron, and material microscopy, to high content screening, tomography, and preclinical in vivo imaging. These facilitate structural and ultrastructural analyses of molecules, organelles and materials, and their respective functional and dynamic properties in live cells, tissues and animals in various biological, physiological, and disease models.

HFIC integrates the activities of ten core facilities with associated member laboratories, with 28 full-time support personnel. HFIC currently supports some 600 customers from the major Finnish universities, hospital districts, private and national research institutes, and commercial companies.

The aim of HFIC is to coordinate the imaging activities within the capitol Helsinki area, providing an interface for the distribution of information on resources, activities and training.

HFIC is recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture as one of the most significant national level research infrastructures, and is a stakeholder of the Euro-BioImaging pan-European research infrastructure project on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap. HFIC is a member of the Nordic Imaging Network, European Light Microscopy Initiative (ELMI), and European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR).

HFIC and the affiliated core facilities currently receive financial support through the Biocenter Finland Biological Imaging and Genome-wide Methods infrastructure networks, Biocentrum Helsinki, Academy of Finland, Aalto University School of Science, and University of Helsinki.