Access to the Electron Microscopy Unit can be done in two different regimes: with technical support and as autouser.
Access with technical support
Users requiring assistance for their electron microscopy experiments or for sample preparation should contact the relevant member of the Electron Microscopy Unit to schedule a session.
- SEM: Marcos Rosado (marcos.rosado@icn2.cat)
- TEM: Belén Ballesteros (belen.ballesteros@icn2.cat)
- Sample preparation: Francisco Belarre (francisco.belarre@icn2.cat)
In the case of sample preparation, the users will need to fill in a Sample Delivery Form: Formulario de Entrega de Muestra / Sample Delivery Form
Internal users accessing the facilities for the first time need to send an authorization from the corresponding group leader
External users will receive a quotation which will need to be accepted before the experiments can take place.
Access as autouser
This access is limited to internal users who have fulfilled the corresponding training (see TRAINING and BOOKING). Only users that need to use the equipment in a regular basis will be trained in the equipment at the Electron Microscopy Unit.
Booking for microscopes is done via the Agendo booking system available on the ICN2 Intranet (https://icn2.agendoscience.com; go to services, bookings, Laboratory equipment).
Autousers will always need to comply with the Electron Microscopy Unit General Rules. If there is any misuse of the facilities and/or equipment, the user's rights to access the Electron Microscopy Unit will be restricted or even revoked.
The usual hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9 to 18h. During these hours the EMU support staff will provide assistance if required.
When using the equipment in the evening or at weekends you are governed by the ICN2 “out of hours” working policy: users shall never work alone, a specific buddy arrangement must be made.
The facilities should not be used from 22h to 8h for security reasons. Only in very exceptional cases this will be accepted, but should be agreed beforehand with the Electron Microscopy Unit staff.
Free of charge access to the Electron Microscopy Unit facilities can also be done via transnacional access projects funded by the European Union like:
NFFA.Europe (www.nffa.eu). NFFA-EUROPE provides free access to state-of-the-art tools for multidisciplinary, frontier research at the nanoscale: available techniques range from nanocharacterization to theory and numerical simulation.
NFFA Europe welcomes both industry and academia researching at the nanoscale: access is coordinated through a single entry point at the NFFA. EU portal, through which users will dialogue with a tem of experts in the fields of their interest, building a personalized access programme. Sites are available free of charge, and NFFA Europe also covers the travel and subsistence costs for users while accessing the identified installations.
ReMade@ARI: (https://remade-project.eu). ReMade@ARI (REcyclable MAterials DEvelopment at Analytical Research Infrastructures) is funded by the EU Commission’s Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The project commits to leverage the development of innovative, sustainable materials for key components in the most diverse sectors, and to make a substantial contribution towards breaking the vicious circle of shrinking resources and increasing amounts of waste.
RIANA: https://riana-project.eu. RIANA, a Horizon Europe project coordinated by DESY, and based in the ARIE Network, joins 7 European networks of top-level RIs to cover the most advanced techniques relevant to nanofabrication, processing/synthesis, characterization, and analysis as well as simulation capacity. It provides unified access to 69 facilities, supporting researchers from academia and industry, and will shape a roadmap for Europe’s future in these fields.