Exchange of Experience 2024

The EoE2024, held in Okazaki, Japan, seamlessly intertwined with two other events: the ABiS Symposium and the first FoundingGIDE community event. This year’s theme, "Image Data Horizons – Global Strategies for Accessible Knowledge," spurred engaging discussions that extended beyond the sessions into coffee breaks and shared dinners.

The events spotlighted practical applications and tools for image data management. Together, they aimed to tackle challenges and devise strategies for broadening accessibility and inclusivity in bioimaging and biomedical imaging across the globe.

As the symposium transitioned into the foundingGIDE event on the final day, the focus deepened on actionable steps for building a Global Image Data Ecosystem (GIDE). Participants explored how image data scientists, alongside funders, policymakers, and corporate partners, can collaborate to drive innovation and ensure equitable access to knowledge worldwide.

The success of the EoE2024 Conference is further highlighted by the remarkable growth in global participation since the first conference in 2016. This reflects the expanding scope of Global BioImaging and its continuously growing community, united by a shared passion for advancing imaging knowledge, promoting equitable access to imaging technologies and strengthening global collaboration. This year's EoE2024 brought together 334 participants from 47 countries, with nearly 170 attending in person.

The diversity of the EoE2024 attendees is evident in the breakdown of professional roles. Participants ranged from imaging core facility staff to industry professionals, researchers, infrastructure and management personnel, as well as policy and funding representatives. This broad distribution underscores the multidisciplinary nature of the event, with a particularly strong focus on imaging infrastructures, industry-academia collaboration, and the role of science policy in advancing bioimaging.

The geographical heat map below showcases the global reach of EoE2024 participants. The map highlights a notable concentration of attendees from South-East Asia, a direct result of the conference’s location in Okazaki, Japan. This strong regional participation emphasizes the growing engagement from South-East Asia and further strengthens Global BioImaging’s ties with the ABiS network. The map also reinforces the truly international nature of the event, connecting experts and stakeholders across continents to foster collaboration and innovation in bioimaging and biomedical research.