About

About EU-OPENSCREEN

EU-OPENSCREEN is a not-for-profit European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) for chemical biology and early drug discovery. 

We support all stages of a chemical tool development project, including assay adaptation, high-throughput screening and chemical optimisation of the resulting ‘hit’ compounds.  

EU-OPENSCREEN operates an open-access database and a unique, common compound collection. Our main library, the European Chemical Biology Library (ECBL), consists of over 100,000 compounds. 

EU-OPENSCREEN has over 30 affiliated high-throughput screening and chemistry facilities at partner sites in eight European countries. These partner facilities provide researchers with access to cutting-edge technologies to develop their own tool compounds. 

EU-OPENSCREEN aims to support the global scientific and economic competitiveness of Europe by delivering public health benefits. In the future, we will act as an innovation accelerator for new start-ups.  

  

Our Mission

Our mission is to be the leading European research infrastructure for chemical biology – developing small molecule modulators. EU-OPENSCREEN provides open access to the most advanced screening and medicinal chemistry technologies and expertise. Our common compound collection advances our understanding of complex biological phenomena. 


Our Vision

EU-OPENSCREEN will become the premier European technology and expertise platform for chemical biology. We will be the first stop for any academic researcher in the life sciences interested in developing specific chemical tools. Central to our vision is the ambition to help improve human health, and the quality of life of an ageing population. We also wish to and address climate change through supporting safer crop protection agents.  


Our Values

Scientific excellence: We strive for scientific excellence in all our offerings and procedures.

Transparency: Our open access model requires that all research data is published so that results can be reproduced by others in the field. Our procedure for choosing projects is fully transparent. 

Equality: We value equality as a crucial part of our work ethic. We make sure to treat all our partners fairly. 

 

    

ERIC - European Research Infrastructure Consortium

EU-OPENSCREEN has been a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) since April 2018 and became an ESFRI landmark one year later.

An ERIC is a legal entity defined by the COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 723/2009 of 25 June 2009 (Weblink). It is authorised by the European Commission upon request by an EU Member State and at least two other countries that are either Member States or associated countries. The aim of an ERIC is the establishment and operation of pan-European Research Infrastructures which can be either single-sited or distributed.

An ERIC is established for the continued development of the European Research Area (ERA) and a significant improvement in the relevant scientific and technological fields. They facilitate access to the European research community and the infrastructural facilities created and maintained by them. They contribute to the mobility of knowledge and researchers within the ERA and to the dissemination and optimisation of the results of research and development initiatives. 

ESFRI - European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures

ESFRI, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, is a strategic instrument to develop the scientific integration of Europe and to strengthen its international outreach. The open access to high quality research infrastructures (RIs) supports and benchmarks the excellent standards of the activities of European scientists, and attracts the best researchers from around the world. ESFRI operates at the forefront of European and global science policies and contributes to its development, translating political objectives into concrete advice for RIs in Europe.

European Life-Science Research Infrastructures (LS RIs)

EU-OPENSCREEN ERIC is part of the European Research Infrastructure landscape and member of the Life-Science Research Infrastructure LS RI cluster.

By making high-quality facilities, resources and services available to every scientist, research infrastructures ensure that science is driven by excellence through collaboration and not by the research capacity of individual countries, economic sectors, or institutions.

For more information on the benefits of European Life Science research infrastructures please visit the LS RI webpage or watch the introductory video on the benefits of collaborating with LS RIs, which also showcases successful EU-OPENSCREEN user projects: