Terms of Service
Nutzungsordnung - Deutsche Version zum Download
1. General Information
The Cryo-EM Facility (CEF) is located in room -1.014 in the basement of the chemistry high-rise, Albertstr. 21. It offers services related to high-resolution imaging for structural biology.
Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Oliver Einsle, Institute of Biochemistry
Technical Director: Dr. Stefan Steimle, Institute of Physical Chemistry
All users of the facility are subject to these terms and conditions.
2. Instruments and Services
The CEF houses a state-of-the-art Krios G4 Transmission Electron Microscope equipped with Selectris Energy Filter and Falcon 4i Direct Electron Detector for sample screening and data collection.
For sample preparation, the facility offers a Vitrobot Mark IV plunge-freezer.
Sample preparation and screening can be performed by CEF staff as a service for a fee, but users may also choose to get trained by CEF staff and perform those tasks independently, in which case they only pay for instrument time.
The transfer of samples into the microscope is exclusively performed by staff members, who are also responsible for setting up data collection runs. The data collection itself is automated and users only pay for instrument time.
Users are responsible for the biochemical preparation of samples, the facility offers services ranging from sample freezing to data collection. CEF also offers free consultations regarding the feasibility of projects and proper sample preparation.
Data processing and interpretation is the users’ responsibility. The facility offers advice and can refer inexperienced users to collaboration partners with the necessary expertise. However, CEF does not provide computational resources and does not offer data processing as a paid service.
If and when IT-resources and staff availability allow it, the facility may agree to enter a collaboration and participate in data processing and analysis.
3. Eligible Users
CEF services are available to all members of the University of Freiburg as well as external universities and research institutions. External users can be admitted to the facility based on collaboration or service agreements as long as internal users are not negatively affected. These terms and conditions are part of any agreements. Service requests from internal users are prioritized.
4. Time allocation and scheduling
All requests for sample preparation, screening and data collections should be submitted to the facility manager via email (stefan.steimle(at)physchem.uni-freiburg.de). Time slots are awarded based on (i) the order in which they are received and on (ii) sample quality. Sessions are scheduled and entered into an internal booking calendar by facility staff to optimize the efficient use of available microscope time. Cancellations are free of charge until the scheduled start time.
When the facility is overbooked, a committee consisting of the Technical Director (Dr. Steimle, IPC) as well as the staff scientists (Dr. Heidinger, IBC & Dr. Kao, IBMB) will allocate time slots based on the following priorities:
Priority A: internal users from the University of Freiburg, who have equal priorities relative to each other, while granting at least 25% of the available time to the Medical School
Priority B: external users based on collaboration and/or service agreements
Priority C: external users without collaboration and/or service agreements
5. Access to the facility
Users generally enter the facility only in presence of CEF staff members. Exceptions can be made for users who are trained to operate one or several instruments independently, at the sole discretion of the facility manager.
6. User fees
Instrument time and, where applicable, staff hours are billed by the hour, and sessions are rounded up to the nearest full hour.
Internal users External users
Krios G4 instrument time 50 €/h 75 €/h
Staff time 50 €/h 75 €/h
Vitrobot Mark IV & glow discharger 25 €/session 35 €/session
Quantifoil grids 7 €/pc
UltrAuFoil grids 22 €/pc
Grid boxes 10.50 €/pc
Clip rings 18 €/pc
Autogrid boxes 12.50 €/pc
Consumables (e.g. grids, clip rings) are provided by the facility, the costs are passed on to the users. Alternatively, users may choose to bring their own consumables.
7. Publications
All posters, talks and papers using data that was collected at CEF must at least acknowledge the facility. The following phrase including the DFG project number and Research Resource Identifier should be used:
„Electron microscopy data were collected at the Cryo-EM Facility of the University of Freiburg (RRID: SCR_025860). The Titan Krios G4 cryo-TEM used for imaging was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (project no. 506518771) and is operated within the Microscopy and Image Analysis Platform (MIAP), University of Freiburg.”
If users feel like certain CEF staff members made a scientific contribution beyond merely operating the equipment, those individuals may be included as co-authors.
If CEF staff members are actively involved in data processing, co-authorship should be discussed and agreed upon at the start of the collaboration.
8. Data storage and availability
Raw and pre-processed data is stored on the CEF server and available for download for 4 weeks after data collection. Long-term data storage according to DFG guidelines is the users’ responsibility. Members of the University of Freiburg may choose to rent storage at the IT-Center (Rechenzentrum).
CEF complies with all rules and regulations related to the storage and use of personal data.
9. Lab Safety
Anyone working at the facility must provide proof that they are trained in general lab safety. Users who freeze their own samples at the facility will be trained by CEF staff in handling cryogens and flammable gases.
Closing Remarks
The Cryo-EM Facility (CEF) operates according to the Albert-Ludwigs-University’s regulations to ensure scientific integrity, following the DFG guidelines for good scientific practice and for research data management. Users of the Cryo-EM Facility (CEF) are required to also follow those guidelines.