Erasmus Medical Centre (MC) Rotterdam is the largest medical center in the Netherlands, with 14,000 employees. The mission of Erasmus MC is to contribute to a healthy population and to excellence in health care through research and education. Erasmus MC Core Facilities provide state-of-the-art technologies including specialized facilities, specialized equipment, innovative processes, and valuable data collection. Core facilities include: Biomics (Erasmus Center for Biomics) offers applications & services using next-generation sequencing & microarrays, and the Erasmus Optical Imaging Centre (OIC) which provides advanced optical imaging knowledge and equipment. Moreover, the Erasmus MC is a leader in prospective cohort studies such as Generation R, a multi-ethnic study from fetal life until young adulthood in Rotterdam, and the Rotterdam Study investigating risk factors and determinants of chronic diseases in middle-aged and elderly persons that started in 1990.