Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who/what is ABIC?

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The African Bioimaging Consortium (ABIC) is a growing network of over 250 life science researchers spread across 23 countries in Africa with an interest in and use for microscopy. ABIC was founded as a catalyst to empower and grow life science research in Africa by addressing needs for training, education, and accessibility of microscopy technologies. As a community-driven and community-guided initiative, ABIC seeks to expand the role microscopy plays in biomedical research on the continent — helping embrace imaging approaches in solving research questions of importance and impact to the African continent.

 

2. What is the ABIC Infrastructure and Expertise Survey?

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Through the ABIC Infrastructure and Expertise Survey, we aim to better understand the landscape of microscopy infrastructure and expertise across Africa. We hope that the information from this survey will be beneficial to users, manufacturers, policy makers and funders to identify recommendations and opportunities to consolidate, grow and support microscopy users and researchers in Africa.

 

3. Why do we ask for your input in this survey?

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This information is critical to identifying microscopy trends, needs and areas of research expertise across the continent. The data we collect will be used to determine where the various open access facilities and equipment are across the continent, and whether this equipment is sufficient and if there is necessary expertise to make optimal use of it. Since we actively engage with researchers, funders and experts who help shape policy, what we learn from the information you share will inform where our efforts will be focused with regards to empowering you (the community) through training, funding, advocacy and collaboration. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a survey has been conducted to identify where microscopy users need the most support.

 

4. What do we plan to do with the information you share? Will your data by anonymised?

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• The data that reflect your personal information is only shared with our small team of data analysers who, only if you have granted us permission, will contact you to verify the information, ask further questions, or discuss potential opportunities for collaboration.

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• The non-personal data that will be shared with various stakeholders will be presented as anonymous statistics that will help inform discussions around access to infrastructure, increasing opportunities to develop local expertise, advocating for equipment upkeep and sharing, improving the landscape of scientific and research funding, etc.

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We wish to be as transparent about this process as possible. If you have any further questions or concerns, kindly contact us at community@africanbioimaging.org