I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to update you on the current status and future initiatives of the FILM imaging family.

For the past several months, David and I have been operating at 50% of our normal staffing levels. Despite this, we have been working 50-60 hours per week to meet your imaging needs. We apologize for any delays you may have experienced in training or consultation and appreciate your understanding as we work through these challenging times.

To alleviate the workload, we are actively recruiting new staff and hope to return to a normal operating schedule in the near future.

We would greatly appreciate your support in these times. If you have more than one year of experience in advanced imaging or image analysis coding and would like to further your skills in user training and support, we invite you to join us as paid Casual Workers.

Currently, FILM serves an extensive community—approximately 460 users across 132 scientific groups—with diverse imaging requirements. We are committed to meeting these varied needs to the best of our abilities. Over the past 7-8 months, we have conducted 4-5 demos and equipment tests to ensure that we are offering cutting-edge technologies. Based on a recent PI survey, we have identified top priorities for future technological development. One exciting update is the forthcoming installation of multiplex imaging capabilities. Additionally, we look forward to expanding our facilities with three new rooms in the ICTEM building come February, where some equipment from the SAF building will be relocated.

We are pleased to announce that we are promoting the use of super-resolution microscopy. As part of this initiative, we are introducing a flexible charging policy and reducing the rate for the Zeiss ELYRA microscope to £25/hour. We have also made significant advances in STED imaging techniques, achieving resolutions as fine as 60 nm and 90 nm depending on the depletion wavelength used.

Attached you will find SIM images obtained by David and STED images obtained by the Leica team and myself.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to your active participation in enhancing the FILM community.