terms of use

Terms of use of the Research Core Unit Electron Microscopy

  • - The use of the ZFE-EM is primarily open to all institutes, departments and clinics of Hannover Medical School. Permanent use of the ZFE-EM at the MHH by external academic or commercial users is not possible. External, purely academic use for research purposes can be agreed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the capacity utilization situation, provided it is within a clearly foreseeable framework in connection with a defined research project. In this case, the fees charged are double those for internal use, plus VAT. A right to use the ZFE-EM, relating to a serial block face scanning electron microscope and a focussed ion beam scanning electron microscope, exists for users belonging to the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in accordance with the conditions for members of the Hannover Medical School.

    - The laboratory facilities and equipment can be used independently by the working groups after instruction.

    - Work in the ZFE-EM is subject to the guidelines of "good scientific practice" as laid down by the Hannover Medical School.

    - In the event of overbooking, stuff of the ZFE-EM will decide on the allocation of usage times in consultation with the users.

    - Work with hazardous substances and radioactive material may only be carried out in accordance with the applicable guidelines in the designated S1 areas. The MHH regulations on occupational safety and data protection must also be observed. Further information and the relevant forms and instructions will be provided by the Biological Safety Officer, the Occupational Safety and Accident Prevention Department, the MHH Radiation Protection Officer and the Data Protection Officer.

    - Booking and usage conditions for the equipment are part of the mandatory briefing and are handed out to every user in written form. The binding operating instructions must be observed. Online booking calendars are available for booking on the MHH exchange server. For this purpose, the user must have an MHH e-mail address, which can be requested from the Center for Information Management (ZIMt).

    - Sample preparation: The samples are prepared according to the research question, the selected technique and the nature of the sample. The staff of the ZFE-EM will be happy to provide advice.

    - The central research facilities of the MHH follow the recommendations of the European Science Foundation for the operation of equipment centers; "Basic Requirements for Research Infrastructures in Europe".

     

     

    Fee schedule for the use of electron microscopy at the Central Research Facility for Electron Microscopy at Hannover Medical School

    Users of electron microscopy who are directly affiliated with Hannover Medical School pay fee, calculated according to the number of hours the equipment is used, for the provision and maintenance of the equipment. For users belonging to the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, these fees apply to a serial block face (SBF) scanning electron microscope and a focussed ion beam (FIB) scanning electron microscope.

    Consumables for sample preparation are charged separately. The preparation is carried out for analysis in the ZFE-EM.

     

    The fee for the use of equipment is € 60 / hour for equipment class II (standard TEM, SBF-SEM or FIB-SEM, each in standard FESEM mode) and € 75 / hour for a cryo-tomography transmission electron microscope (equipment class III). For volume data generated on the SBF-SEM, a one-off charge of €120 per data set plus an additional €50 per day of automated runtime will be charged. For volume data generated on the FIB-SEM, € 240 is charged per day. For micro-CT images, a basic fee of €100 plus €20 per hour of automated acquisition time is charged per generated 3D data set.

    For the use of electron microscopes, an annual flat rate is offered as an alternative to hourly billing. This amounts to 3600 € / year for class II equipment and 5400 € / year for a class III cryo-tomography transmission electron microscope (including free use of class I and II equipment). When booking a flat rate, the hourly price is waived and use is free for 1 year. Flat rates apply to all members of a working group with their own cost center. The costs for SBF-generated volume data are included in the flat rate; for FIB-SEM, a flat rate of €100/day instead of €200/day is charged for GKII/III.

    In addition to the equipment usage fees, € 24 is charged for consumables per sample embedded by the ZFE-EM, € 24 per run of the critical point drying system and € 24 per run of a gold sputtering system (regardless of the number of samples used in the equipment per run).

    An introduction to the use of the equipment is obligatory before the booking is released; it is charged once at € 200 for an electron microscope of equipment class II or a micro-CT or at € 300 for a cryo-tomography transmission electron microscope of equipment class III. Instruction is always provided by members of the ZFE-EM and is carried out individually for each user. The instruction authorizes the instructed person to use the equipment and at the same time obliges them to observe the respective equipment usage regulations.

    For each request submitted to the ZFE-EM, the project in question and the issues involved are first discussed in an initial meeting. The equipment is used independently, with the necessary technical instructions. If the user requires additional personnel and/or thematic support, a scientific cooperation can be agreed by mutual consent. This will be decided jointly in consultation, depending on the required scientific contribution of the ZFE-EM staff.

    Signed Prof. Dr. med. Christian Mühlfeld & Dr. Jan Hegermann