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National and International Embedding
The nationwide infrastructure will form a grid of complementary facilities. Each of the major NMR centers has specific expertise areas and are embedded in the focus areas of the ‘sectorplan Chemie’. Most Dutch NMR groups participate in activities of the European Union, as facilities, in European Networks or with extensive collaborations
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The NMR groups (Nicolay, Magusin) at Eindhoven University of Technology develop advanced NMR imaging and spectroscopy techniques for materials, life science and biomedical research. The Nicolay group is active in an FP6-Network-of-Excellence, an FP6 Integrated Project, an FP7 Integrated Project and two COST actions (i.e, COST action D38, entitled ‘Metal-Based Systems for Molecular Imaging Applications’, and the recently approved COST Action TD1004, entitled ‘Theragnostics Imaging and Therapy’).
- Leiden houses two major NMR groups with a focus on high resolution NMR on proteins and protein-drug interactions (Ubbink, Siegal) and MRI and MR spectroscopy in medical context and solid-state NMR (de Groot, Matysik, Alia). The Ubbink/Siegal group participates in the focus area ‘Chemical Biology’, together with two other groups. This area was supported in the sectorplan by positions for an additional full professor and a tenure track researcher. Ubbink has been coordinator of a European Training Network on Protein Interactions and has many NMR collaborations throughout Europe.
The group of de Groot is part of the focus area ‘Theory and Spectroscopy’, supported in the sectorplan with a position for a full professor and has managed an EU facility for high-field solid state NMR. Currently, it participates in a NMR working group for the EU ESFRI project Instruct (An Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure for Europe).
- Nijmegen functions as a solid-state NMR facility for functional materials research. Locally two groups are active, focusing on the development of new NMR methodology and its application in materials science (Kentgens) and metabolomics and nucleic acids (Wijmenga).
The NMR spectroscopy groups participate in the focus areas ‘Advanced spectroscopy on molecules and materials’ and ‘Chemical Biology’, which have been supported with several positions in the sectorplan. The Kentgens group has coordinated a European Training Network in the past and is currently involved in the I3 Infrastructures (European Magnet labs) by coordinating a Joint Research Activity for the development of resistive and hybride magnets larger than 30 T (EUROMAGNET I and EUROMAGNET II in the sixth and seventh framework programmes). The Wijmenga group is involved in a EU STREP project.
- Utrecht comprises three NMR groups with a focus on high resolution solution (Boelens), solid state (Baldus) and computational (Bonvin) studies of biomolecules and their interactions. By following a holistic approach integrating computational structural biology methods with information from NMR and various biophysical, biochemical and bioinformatic sources the groups aim at obtaining a comprehensive description of the structural and dynamic landscape of complex biomolecular machines.
The Utrecht NMR groups is a prominent member of the Bijvoet centre that received support in the sectorplan focus area ‘Structural Biology’. Utrecht has been a NMR Research Infrastructure for Biomolecular NMR since 1994. In the current programs (EastNMR, 1999-2013, and Bio-NMR, 2010-2014) the Utrecht facility provides access on their instruments for both solution- and solid-state NMR on biomolecules. Average access ~280 days per year. In addition Utrecht is an e-Infrastructure in Life Sciences, e-NMR, serving computational needs of biomolecular NMR users from Europe, also beyond the NMR Research Infrastructures. From November 2010 this continues as WeNMR, by including complimentary techniques such as SAXS, and expanding to a worldwide network. In addition Utrecht is involved in the NMR working groups for the EU ESFRI project Instruct (An Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure for Europe). The Utrecht groups also have been involved in a large number of EU projects and Networks.
- Wageningen Wageningen focuses on (TD)NMR and MRI development and applications to study intact plants for plant performance and production, food processing and quality (Van As), high-resolution hyphenated NMR for food-health relationship by body fluid analyses (high throughput metabolomics, proteomics and biomarker search; Vervoort) ) and (ribosome-bound nascent) protein folding (Van Mierlo). Since 1992 Wageningen NMR Centre (WNMRC) has been supported by EU funding to stimulate access to Research Infrastructure WNMRC for NMR in agriculture, food and biology.
In the sectorplan Chemistry, the WNMRC is involved in the focus area Biomolecular Sciences, including Colloid Chemistry and Bionanotechnology, and contributes to research in the focus areas Food Chemistry & Technology, Biomedical & life sciences and Physics of Life..
