The infrastructure cooperation network on "NMR structural biology in life sciences in the post-genomic era"

Among the Research Infrastructures (RIs) financed by the European Commission in the 4th and 5th Framework Programme to provide access to European users, there is a core of four (PARABIO, Florence, IT; Bijvoet Center (SONNMRLSF) Utrecht, NL; UNIFRANMR Frankfurt, D; WnmrC Wageningen, NL), dealing with NMR in Life Sciences, which have complementary and partly overlapping interests. These RIs, in collaboration with some user group representatives, an European manufacturer of equipment for magnetic resonance and two top-level American research teams have taken the initiative of setting up an Infrastructure Cooperation Network (ICN) on "NMR Structural Biology in Life Sciences in the Post-Genomic Era". Among others, the Network aims to: • Manage a Round Table to assess the quality of the service provided by the RIs, to debate on the perspectives of users' access, and to devise and promote the actions necessary to increase quality and quantity of access. • Implement a virtual network among the facilities, providing a common interface for the users. The diffusion and development of NMR-related databases and software is being promoted. • Promote scientific and technological innovations in the field of NMR in Life Sciences. • Co-ordinate and provide guidelines for post-genomic NMR research in Europe. The other partners involved in the Network are: Ecole Normale Superieure; University of Oxford; EMBL - Heidelberg; Concejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas; Medical Research Council - Cambridge; Bruker Analytik GmbH; University of California at Berkeley; New York Structural Biology Center.