/
Extended Lab Access

Extended Lab Access

Very occasionally projects may require extended access for sample preparation in laboratories, and use of equipment such as incubators, bio-safety cabinets etc.

In rare instances, we can grant additional lab access to help prepare samples. This usually only applies to some biological experiments; however other exceptional circumstances may be considered.

Speak to your beamline scientist as soon as possible if you think this may apply to you; advance notice is an important part of this process.

So how does it work?

  1. As soon as your beamtime is scheduled discuss your extended access requirements with the Beamline Scientist. The Beamline Scientist will consult with you regarding:

    • Dates requested to undertake the lab work

    • Who requires access to complete the lab work

    • What sort of lab work will be undertaken

    • What is your expected equipment/space requirements

    • You will also need to provide a justification for why the work is to be undertaken in our laboratories - i.e. Why can’t this be completed at your home institute?

  2. If agreed that extended access may be applicable, the Beamline Scientist will submit a Lab Proposal via the Synchrotron portal with your request.

  3. The Lab Proposal will be reviewed by the Science Operations Manager to determine if the extended access is justified and if it can be accommodated with regard to other User groups scheduled. There may be additional requests for information prior to approval.

  4. If the Lab Proposal is approved, the Beamline Scientist will initiate a Lab EA. The Lab EA will only be available for editing in the portal by Users after the Lab Proposal has been approved.

  5. The Lab EA will be reviewed by the User Office, Lab Staff, and Beamline Scientists (similar to a beamline EA). There may be additional requests for information and revision prior to approval.

  6. When the Lab EA is approved, extended access will be granted only to approved members of the team that require extended access.

NOTE:

  • There are restrictions on how many days you will be available to have extended access.

  • The Lab EA must be approved as soon as possible after scheduling to ensure the approval process is completed in time.

  • Last minute requests are unlikely to be approved.

 

When will it apply?

Generally, a Lab Proposal/EA will be applicable if you need to access the labs more than 48 hours prior to your beamtime and more than 24 hours following your beamtime.

However, discuss this with your beamline scientist as soon as possible as other criteria may apply depending on your unique circumstances.

 

When should it be organised?

As soon as possible!

Our specialty labs require a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice for booking of equipment and scheduling, so the sooner the lab proposal can be submitted the better.

We highly recommend getting this organised as soon as your beamtime is scheduled.

 

How is this different to the Beamline proposal/EA?

The Lab proposal/EA is only applicable to the work you will be undertaking in the labs.

We do not need to know your requirements for the beamline.

Do not carbon copy your beamline proposal.

This process will be used as a safety & risk assessment for your lab work, it should include relevant details on the work you are planning on undertaking, who will be doing the work and how potential hazards are addressed.

As much information as possible is helpful for us to assess your Lab EA:

  • Who needs access & to which labs (see our individual lab wiki pages for more information)

    • Provide exact dates for which team members

    • Provide frequency (if relevant) - e.g. once daily for 14 days

  • Equipment required (examples below (but not limited to) - see Lab Equipment page for more information)

    • Centrifuge - include speed required and tube size

    • Incubator - CO2/bacteria/temperature only; approx. number required (expect 2 maximum)

    • Bio-safety cabinet

    • Autoclave

    • Cold storage - fridge, freezer, -80, liquid nitrogen; etc. *NOTE: long-term storage is by staff approval only prior to arrival

  • Consumables (see Lab Consumables page for more information)

    • What consumables, expected quantities *NOTE: there are limited quantities of consumables available - make sure to discuss your options as early as possible

  • Chemicals (See Chemicals and Lab Waste page for more information)

    • What chemicals, quantities, who will provide?

    • SDSs for any hazardous chemicals and a procedure or risk assessment for working safely with any hazardous chemicals

    • Hazardous waste: (e.g. chemical, biological) that will be generated - type, volumes

    • Removal and disposal of each waste type

  • PPE requirements

  • Anything else related to the lab work that might help us understand your requirements (e.g. using a cell strain that is slow growing)

NOTE:

You can reuse you Lab EA in the future for similar experiments, just update any relevant dates/information as it changes.