The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced the grant to GBI to help improve access to advanced imaging research tools such as microscopy. The group noted that imaging of molecules, cells, and tissues is central to both biomedical research and clinical practice, but access to advanced tools is uneven, a fact that has slowed research progress.

Global BioImaging is an international network of imaging infrastructures and communities that is coordinated by European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Germany. The group brings together managers and technical staff of imaging facilities, as well as scientists and science policy officers, to join forces and facilitate international discussion and cooperation.

The three-year grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will fund GBI's core activities and help it develop a self-sustaining administrative framework. The funds will also help GBI expand its worldwide network, improve training and outreach efforts, and strengthen links to the biomedical imaging community. The group also hopes to help member nations strengthen the scientific foundations of imaging in their own countries.