Bioimaging is an interdisciplinary science. In addition to biology itself, a deep understanding of optics, microscopy, fluorescence probes, image processing and image analysis is required. Due to this overwhelming need of diverse technologies and since it is rather unlikely a single individual can master all these topics, biologists and imaging scientists need to work together to achieve higher scientific goals. In order to facilitate this collaborative process, a strengthening of the bioimaging infrastructure is required. In the following, we focus on the image processing and analysis in bioimaging. We first briefly review the current status of the infrastructure and then explain the need for actions to promote a higher accessibility to bioimage analysis for biological researchers.

Among the overall bioimaging workflow, image processing and analysis come at the very last end. Microscope images are multidimensional data representing complex biological phenomena that involve biochemical reactions occurring within three dimensional spatial contexts. The major task of image processing and analysis is to computationally decrease the dimensionality of the problem under study, extract relevant quantitative information and conduct statistical data analysis.

Compared to the other technologies involved in bioimaging, image processing and analysis is unique in that its infrastructure is essentially made of computational tools. Hardware such as server and client machines, data storages and networks are the physical infrastructure for computation but not the main focus of this meeting. In turn software and its intrinsic capability for simple dissemination is the main target.

To organize and increase  in a scalable way the accessibility to image processing and analysis infrastructure within the European bioimaging community, its heavy dependence on human resource should be given a considerable attention.