Tampere Microscopy Center joins Nordic network – maximising the potential of electron microscopy through Nordic collaboration
Electron microscopes use a beam of electrons instead of visible light as a source of illumination, allowing them to achieve atomic-level resolution. They can be used to examine the surface topography or internal structure of different materials, determine the chemical composition of specimens, and analyse nanostructures or the arrangement of atoms. Electron microscopy also enables extremely high-resolution imaging of biological samples, such as cells and viruses.
NEMI offers courses, training opportunities and research visits for its members. In particular, NEMI supports early-career researchers in addressing sustainability challenges, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of doctoral researchers.
The member institutions have recently invested in state-of-the-art electron microscopes. Through NEMI, this equipment and the associated expertise can be shared across institutional boundaries to ensure these substantial investments are utilised effectively.
“We have previously collaborated with several of the microscopy centres that are now part of NEMI, and we are delighted to join the network ourselves. This is an excellent step forward for TMC. As a university-level research infrastructure, we can now offer our research community access to an even wider range of high‑quality expertise and advanced research instruments through NEMI,” says Professor Minnamari Vippola, Head of TMC and leader of the NEMI node in Tampere.
According to Vippola, the funding TMC receives through NEMI will cover the organisation of a workshop and expert lectures, enable two research visits by Tampere University researchers to partner laboratories within the network, provide NEMI researchers with access to TMC’s research equipment, and facilitate Tampere University researchers’ participation in workshops hosted by partner institutions.
NEMI’s members include Tampere University and Aalto University (Finland), the Technical University of Denmark and Aarhus University (Denmark), Linköping University, Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University (Sweden), and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Oslo (Norway). NEMI is led and coordinated by Professor Jakob Wagner of the Technical University of Denmark.
In 2028, TMC will host a workshop focusing on in-situ measurements in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) as well as the use of correlative microscopy and simulations. The activities will include lectures, demonstrations and practical sessions with microscopes.
Read more about the Tampere Microscopy Center.
Read more about the NEMI (Nordic Electron Microscopy Infrastructure) network.
