INFRAFRONTIER GMBH

Their core work

INFRAFRONTIER GmbH operates Europe's leading research infrastructure for mouse models of human disease. They provide systemic phenotyping services (the "mouse clinic"), cryopreservation and archiving of mutant mouse lines, and gnotobiology facilities for germ-free animal research. Their work enables biomedical researchers across Europe to access standardized, quality-controlled mouse disease models — a critical resource for studying ageing, genetic disorders, and drug development. More recently, they have expanded into digital infrastructure, connecting life-science data resources to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), INFRAFRONTIER focused on broad biomedical research infrastructure — coordinating life-science services, data management, and establishing their role in the European Research Area. By their later period (2017–2023), the focus sharpened in two directions: deepening their core mouse model services (phenotyping, cryopreservation, gnotobiology, ageing models) while simultaneously pivoting toward digital infrastructure and EOSC cloud integration. This dual evolution reflects a mature infrastructure provider modernizing its service delivery through open science and FAIR data principles.

INFRAFRONTIER is moving from a physical-resource provider (mouse lines, phenotyping) toward becoming a hybrid physical-digital infrastructure, connecting its biological assets to European cloud platforms — making them relevant to both wet-lab and computational biology collaborations.

How they like to work

INFRAFRONTIER primarily joins large European consortia as a participant (4 out of 5 projects), contributing specialized infrastructure expertise to broad multi-partner initiatives. Their single coordinated project (INFRAFRONTIER2020, their largest at EUR 1.7M) was focused squarely on their own infrastructure development. With 126 unique partners across 21 countries, they are a well-connected hub in the European life-science infrastructure network — a reliable partner that brings physical resources and domain expertise rather than competing for scientific leadership.

With 126 unique consortium partners spanning 21 countries, INFRAFRONTIER has one of the broader collaboration networks among infrastructure providers — reflecting their role as a shared European resource that connects with research institutions, universities, and other RIs continent-wide.

What sets them apart

INFRAFRONTIER is the single coordinating entity behind Europe's distributed mouse model infrastructure — there is no equivalent alternative at this scale. They combine physical biobanking (cryopreserved mouse lines), functional services (phenotyping clinics, gnotobiology), and increasingly digital data services under one roof. For any consortium needing access to standardized mouse disease models or preclinical phenotyping at European scale, INFRAFRONTIER is the default partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INFRAFRONTIER2020
  Their flagship coordinated project (EUR 1.7M) — the core investment in making their mouse model infrastructure sustainable and expanding services like phenotyping, cryopreservation, and gnotobiology.
• EOSC-Life
  Marks their strategic pivot into digital infrastructure, connecting 13+ biological and medical research infrastructures to the European Open Science Cloud (EUR 705K contribution).
• CORBEL
  Major cross-RI coordination project that established INFRAFRONTIER's role in the broader European life-science infrastructure ecosystem alongside ELIXIR, BBMRI, and others.