€27.5 Million in EU Funding for the Cutting-Edge GIGA NMR Research Infrastructure
The Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the GIGA Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – “GIGA NMR” project, coordinated by the National Institute of Chemistry. The European Regional Development Fund will fully finance the €27.5 million project to establish and upgrade a cutting-edge, nationally strategic research infrastructure for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at very high magnetic fields.
Among other investments, the project will include the acquisition of a 1 GHz NMR spectrometer, significantly expanding the capabilities of the Slovenian NMR Centre. The project aims to support research, development and the production of critical technologies in biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals and related advanced sectors, while strengthening Slovenia’s scientific excellence, innovation potential and technological sovereignty.
The GIGA NMR infrastructure will enable the structural and functional characterisation of complex molecular and biological systems, such as proteins, RNA, DNA and their complexes, including in demanding chemical and biological environments. Very high magnetic fields provide substantially greater sensitivity and resolution in NMR measurements, enabling the use of smaller quantities of valuable biomolecules, a better understanding of complex systems, and the development and validation of advanced analytical methods important for the modern biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
The project will be implemented in partnership between the National Institute of Chemistry and the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Maribor. The infrastructure will operate as an open research platform for research organisations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and other stakeholders in strategic value chains, thereby contributing to knowledge transfer and the shared use of research infrastructure at the national level.
Within the CERIC-ERIC consortium, the new and upgraded research equipment of the Slovenian NMR Centre will be available to researchers through an open-access system based on international peer review of research proposals. At the same time, Slovenia’s participation in the consortium provides Slovenian researchers with access to a broad range of European research infrastructures. The NMR Centre has also established partnerships with other European research infrastructures, and its expertise is particularly important in biotechnology, pharmacy and medicine, as well as for research in other fields.
“We welcome the decision of the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion and Regional Development to approve EU funding for the GIGA NMR project. The National Centre for High-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy has been operating at the National Institute of Chemistry since 1992 and serves a broad range of users in Slovenia and around the world. Throughout these decades, its research has been characterised by close links with Slovenia’s pharmaceutical, chemical and other industries. We are extremely grateful to the state for its support, both for investments and for the operation of the NMR Centre. The newly approved investment represents an important step towards keeping pace with the capabilities of state-of-the-art research equipment worldwide, while its specific project objectives, pursued in collaboration with the University of Maribor, will also support research in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry in Slovenia,” said Prof. dr. Janez Plavec, Head of the National Centre for High-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy.
