IMS 1280 Facility Access

IMS 1280 Facility Access

Eligibility and costs

The SIMS facility at the University of Western Australia is located in the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis. The Cameca NanoSIMS 50 and Cameca IMS 1280 are flagship instruments of the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (AMMRF). All publicly funded Australian researchers are eligible to apply to analysis time at subsidised AMMRF rates. International academic researchers and industrial researchers are also welcome to apply.

Click here for SIMS costs and charging policy.

How to access the IMS 1280 facility

Prospective users are required to submit their application online. The IMS 1280 access policy is still being finalised, however, the interim policy can be accessed here.
Applications are assessed by the SIMS Facility Steering Committee. It is strongly recommended that you contact the IMS 1280 Manager to discuss your project, before submitting a formal application. A successful project will be allocated analysis time to be advised by the manager after consultation with the applicant. For the sake of efficiency, projects with similar analytical goals/instrument configurations will be scheduled together.

To complete the application process an online form is available. In addition, a two A4 page project description must be uploaded in PDF format:

i) names of all investigators and institutions
ii) objectives and aims
iii) background and rationale
iv) specific outcomes sought
v) significance

TO APPLY FOR ACCESS TO THE CAMECA IMS 1280, CLICK HERE.

AMMRF Travel and Access Program (TAP)

The AMMRF provides funding towards travel and access through the TAP scheme. This scheme is particularly suitable for researchers who would like to perform feasibility tests or obtain preliminary data for grant applications and seed projects. Applications approved by the SIMS Facility Steering Committee may be eligible to apply for TAP funding to cover analysis costs. Click here to visit the AMMRF TAP website.

ARC and other funding body applications

Research grant applications that include IMS 1280 analyses should be discussed with the instrument managers prior to submission. Where necessary, letters of support may be provided by the CMCA Director. For charging rates to include in your application, please visit the charging policy page.

Timeframe

Time will generally be allocated in minimum blocks of one 7.5 hour day. Facility staff will endeavour to be flexible and meet the applicant’s time constraints, however, please bear in mind that the availability of instrument time may incur a delay of several months. In the case of loss of analysis time due to instrumental breakdown, the CMCA will make every effort to reallocate time to users as quickly as possible.

Publication and acknowledgement

As the Facility is a flagship node of the AMMRF, any data produced from the SIMS facility must acknowledge AMMRF for their support. Similarly, the CMCA, which receives support from the University, the State Government, and the Commonwealth Government, should be acknowledged. To view the suggested wording to include in your acknowledgement, Click here.

The SIMS instruments are both highly complex and facility staff will normally become deeply involved in projects to ensure that the quality of the data and their interpretation are of the highest standards. It is, therefore, expected that facility staff will be included as co-authors on publications when applicable in accordance with University of Western Australia Guidlines.

Offer of Acceptance

If SIMS access is granted, when the letter of offer is accepted by the researcher(s), they agree to:

• Collaborate closely with the SIMS facility staff in appropriate aspects of sample preparation, experimental design, data processing, data interpretation, and manuscript writing.
• Include appropriate SIMS facility staff as co-authors on all publications where applicable.
• Include the appropriate acknowledgement in any oral or written publication arising from or including data from the SIMS Facility and the AMMRF, as stated on the CMCA website - see publication acknowledgement.
• Submit a brief report to the CMCA outlining the results and outcomes of the analysis 1 month after completion of the analyses.
• Agree to pay the applicable costs as agreed upon and outlined in the SIMS Facility Charging Policy