Usage regulations

February, 2017

The OICE is a nonprofit organisation and is open to scientists at the conditions laid out below. External usage is, in general, possible.

You can download a pdf of the 2021_oice_prices_and_usage_regulations.pdf

• 1. Owners who contribute equipment to the pool do not have to pay for the usage of their own devices.
• 2. Owners who contribute equipment to the pool pay 50% of the usage fee for other devices until the equivalent usage value is reached that has been assigned to their contributed equipment. After this time, the full usage fee will be charged.
• 3. Users who have not contributed equipment for the pool pay the full usage fee.
• 4. Maintenance and repair of pool equipment will be organised and financed by the OICE pro rata to the respective usage time. Individual participation in repair costs depending on the age of the device will be negotiated upon inclusion of the equipment into the pool
• 5. The core usage hours are from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. During this time, 100% of the standard hourly rate will be used as a calculation basis.
• 6. During other times, 75% of the standard hourly rate will be used as a calculation basis.
• 7. Long-term measurements during the night will be charged with 75% of the standard hourly rate. Individual pricing for long-term measurement can be negotiated upon special request.
• 8. Cancellations are free until 24 hours prior to the agreed usage period. If a booking is cancelled less than 24 hours in advance, 50% of the standard hourly rate will be charged. Should another user book the device during the cancelled usage period, the compensated hours will not be charged for. Cancellations of bookings for contributed devices are always free, but the usage period will remain in the booking system and count towards the total usage time for cancellations with less than 24 hour notice.
• 9. The time credits earned on contributed equipment are valid for a maximum of 12 months after withdrawal from the pool but cannot exceed total time of the equipment being part of the OICE pool.
• 10. The usage of contributed devices has to be documented via the booking system.
• 11. In case of over-bookings, we will decide on the basis of the nature of samples/experiments, time constraints (e.g. manuscript deadline) by the projects, previous documented (publications, conference contributions e.g.) outcomes, how to co-ordinate the use of the particular system.
• 12. The usage time for contributed devices and pool devices is documented and invoiced every two month. Invoices always show the actual usage time.
• 13. Each new user for non-contributed equipment is charged with 100€ initial service and instruction fee. Each project is granted one trial session (< 3 hours) for free.

In general the real usage time will be billed. However, bookings under 1 hour are not possible. The multi-photon DeepSee device requires an initial booking time of 2 hours.

The OICE executive board reserves the right to adjust the usage cost on the annual basis.

• Infrastructure for the operation of high-end microscopy systems including security level S2 GenTech.
• Professional scientific assistance regarding imaging techniques and sample preparation.
• Project planning regarding imaging strategy and sample preparation.
• On demand optimisation of image acquisition parameters regarding the particular samples (one-off free service, < 2 hours).
• Online booking, management and report system.
• Manufacturer contact regarding maintenance and repairs for all devices in the pool.
• Basic usage introduction to the particular device for new users.*
• GenTech S2 approved laboratory for sample preparation (workbench, incubation, short-term sample storage)
• In selected cases a scientific cooperation with the CFU / ERU / MPL / Fraunhofer IIS is possible under co-authorship
• Maintenance of the hard- and software systems
• Platform for documentation
• Excellent international scientific networking with leading universities and institutes

* Introduction to a microscopy system will only be provided for future OICE users. If the system is not booked during the following 6 weeks, the training will be charged with 10 core hours of that system to compensate for the incurred costs.

Terms and conditions for hands-on / theoretical seminars provided by the OICE: Groups contributing a device to the OICE pool are granted a limited early bird allotment for members of the respective group. Seminar fees, if applicable, will be reduced by 50 % for those participating from contributing groups.

Since OICE is financed from several resources, an acknowledgement is mandatory for publications of images or data resulting from work or support by members of staff at OICE, e.g. with the phrase:

Microscopy/Image analysis was performed with the support of the Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen (OICE) and NAME of MEMBER of STAFF.

OICE staff can also be engaged in scientific collaborations, leading to co-authorships according to the DFG guidelines for good scientific practice. Manuscripts that contain whatever data or support by OICE, need to be made available to the Head of OICE before submission for publication or public presentation (with sub-sequent publication), according to DFG advice.

By using services provided by the OICE, every group leader/user agrees to the following liability rules: Equipment damage not resulting from normal wear and tear of parts at the end of their respective average life time, i.e. damage caused by users due to improper use will be repaired at the cost of the responsible principal investigator account. Every user is obligated to test the booked equipment for its proper function prior to starting his or her session. If improper function is found during this initial checkup, the user immediately has to submit an incident report or advise a member of staff about the issue in person. If improper function is found at OICE pool equipment without a corresponding incident report or personal notice, the last user of the device will be held responsible for the damage. If working under S1 or S2 conditions, the PI remains responsible for the supervision of his/her employees regarding health and safety regulations.