Sustainathon 2026: Advancing Sustainable Biomedical Imaging Facilities

The Global BioImaging (GBI) Biomedical Imaging Working Group is launching an international Sustainhathon focused on one of the most pressing issues facing imaging infrastructures worldwide: the long-term sustainability of biomedical imaging facilities.

This Sustainhathon brings together scientists, imaging facility staff, and infrastructure leaders from across the global imaging community to collaboratively design realistic, scalable, and forward-looking sustainability models. Through this structured, time-bound innovation process, participants will develop practical strategies that strengthen financial resilience, operational continuity, and long-term impact.

CONCEPT

A Sustainhathon is a collaborative, time-bound innovation event in which participants work in teams to develop practical and forward-looking solutions to a defined sustainability question.

For this initiative, participants will design strategic, operational, and financial models capable of supporting the long-term sustainability of biomedical imaging facilities operating under constrained resources.

The central question of this Sustainhathon is:

How can a biomedical imaging facility remain self-sustainable for at least 10 years under a hypothetical initial investment of $1 million?

Participants are encouraged to develop holistic sustainability plans that address:

  • Financial sustainability
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Human resources and training strategies
  • Data management and digital infrastructure
  • Operational efficiency and service provision models

Proposed solutions may consider imaging platforms, including CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, and ultrasound technologies.

Key Dates

  • Sustainhathon Launch: 19 February 2026 (recording will be available)
  • Submission Portal Opens: 9th March 2026
  • Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026
  • Notification of Results: End of May 2026
  • Winning Teams Presentation: 11 June 2026 during a GBI Webinar (9:00 and 16:00 CET)

Submission Guidelines

Participants are invited to submit a concise proposal presenting their sustainability model.

Submission requirements include:

  • Maximum 2-page written proposal,
  • Up to 2 supporting figures or tables,
  • Standard formatting (Arial 11, single-spaced, 2 cm margins).

Proposals may address clinical or preclinical facility models. For clinical facility proposals, at least 30% of facility time must be allocated to research activities.

Participants should also consider the operational and financial aspects of probe manufacturing and imaging contrast agent production when relevant.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL [HERE]

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be assessed by an international evaluation committee composed of Chairs of the GBI Biomedical Imaging Working Group and representatives from major global biomedical imaging networks.

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Excellence and innovation
  • Feasibility and implementation realism
  • Long-term sustainability impact

The scoring framework will consider the breadth of imaging modality coverage. Maximum points will be awarded for inclusion of all core modalities, with proportional deductions for omissions. Additional relevant modalities may receive bonus points where appropriately justified.

For clinical or hybrid facility models, proposals allocating a greater proportion of facility time to research activities will receive additional weighting.

Overall, the evaluation will focus on the quality, originality, global relevance, and operational efficiency of the proposed sustainability model, ensuring a realistic and scalable strategy capable of maintaining a biomedical imaging facility for at least 10 years under the defined scenario.

Why Participate?

The winning team will receive:

  • An invitation to present their solution during an international GBI webinar
  • Complimentary registration to the GBI Exchange of Experience (EoE) event at EMBL Heidelberg, Germany: https://share.google/YzStMm0RzJFxNpCSx
  • The opportunity to co-author a publication on sustainable biomedical imaging facility models based on Sustainhathon outcomes

Relevant Resources

Free Online Training on Core Facility Operations
Available via the Global BioImaging (GBI) website (Core Facility Management Repository): https://globalbioimaging.org/international-training-courses/repository/core-facility-management

If you have any questions, please contact us at:
[email protected]

FAQs: Coming soon.

Chairs

Linda Chaabane (Euro-BioImaging Med-Hub, Torino, Italy), Graham Galloway (Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia) and Adriana Tavares (Head of the Preclinical PET Facility at the University of Edinburgh and Professor of Translational Molecular Imaging, Scotland)