The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has confirmed the inclusion of Microscopy Europe in its Roadmap 2026 following a scientific and strategic evaluation. Selected as one of only six new projects in this update, Microscopy Europe is now recognised as a research infrastructure of strategic importance for Europe, marking a major milestone for the European electron microscopy community.

ICN2 is among the partners of Microscopy Europe, an initiative focused on establishing a distributed research infrastructure that connects 26 leading electron microscopy facilities across 15 European countries, providing coordinated open access to researchers from academia and industry. The initiative combines state-of-the-art instrumentation with AI-driven automation, data management and computational modelling, building on more than 17 years of European collaboration.

A major milestone for the future of JEMCA

ICN2 played a key role in the development of JEMCA, the Electron Microscopy Centre located at the ALBA Synchrotron, and currently leads the scientific strategy and operations of the infrastructure in materials science under the leadership of ICREA Prof. Jordi Arbiol.

For the Institute, the inclusion of Microscopy Europe in the ESFRI Roadmap reinforces its position within Europe's emerging network of large-scale research infrastructures. It also provides a strategic framework for the future development of JEMCA, aligning the centre's advanced microscopy capabilities with a coordinated European ecosystem that will drive innovation, open access and technological excellence.