CENTRE D'ETUDE ET DE RECHERCHE MULTIMODAL ET PLURIDISCIPLINAIRE EN IMAGERIE DU VIVANT GIE

Their core work

CERMEP is a dedicated medical imaging research platform based near Lyon, France, operating advanced infrastructure for Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), MRI, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Their core work is providing both the physical imaging equipment and the scientific methodology expertise needed to conduct translational biomedical research — bridging laboratory findings with clinical applications. In H2020 projects they contributed imaging infrastructure and processing know-how, supporting research teams investigating metabolic biomarkers, molecular signals, and disease-specific imaging protocols. Their work underpins research in areas from machine learning-assisted image analysis to diabetes-related cardiac pathology.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects started in 2019, so the keyword split reflects thematic breadth across simultaneous work rather than true temporal evolution. INSPiRE-MED represents the methodological side — imaging technique development, signal processing, and machine learning applied to MRS/MRI/PET data. CARDIATEAM represents the disease-application side — using imaging as a diagnostic and research tool in diabetes and heart failure, incorporating omics and systems biology. The direction this suggests is a centre that has established its imaging methodology base and is increasingly channeling it into specific disease pathways, particularly cardiometabolic conditions.

CERMEP appears to be moving from being a general-purpose imaging platform toward a specialist contributor in cardiometabolic and metabolic disease research, making them a candidate partner for consortia targeting diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular imaging biomarkers.

How they like to work

CERMEP participates exclusively in supporting roles — as a partner or third party — and has not coordinated any H2020 projects. This is consistent with a platform-type research centre whose value lies in providing physical infrastructure and technical expertise to project consortia led by universities or clinical research institutions. With 50 distinct consortium partners across just 2 projects, they operate inside large, multi-stakeholder research networks rather than tight bilateral collaborations.

CERMEP has connected with 50 unique partners across 11 countries through only 2 projects, reflecting the large consortium format typical of MSCA-ITN training networks and RIA health research grants. Their network is predominantly European, consistent with the H2020 programme structure.

What sets them apart

CERMEP is one of the few European research infrastructures combining MRS, MRI, and PET under one roof with an explicit research mission — not a hospital radiology service, but a dedicated scientific imaging platform. This multimodal capability is valuable for translational research consortia that need quantitative imaging biomarkers across modalities in the same facility. For a consortium building a project around metabolic disease, cardiac function, or brain imaging, CERMEP offers both instrumentation access and the methodological depth to design and interpret complex imaging protocols.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INSPiRE-MED
  An MSCA-ITN training network integrating MRS and multimodal imaging for research and education — notable because it positioned CERMEP as an imaging training hub for early-career researchers across Europe.
• CARDIATEAM
  A long-running RIA (2019–2026) on diabetic cardiomyopathy that incorporates omics and systems biology alongside imaging, showing CERMEP's capacity to contribute to multi-disciplinary disease-mechanism research beyond pure imaging.