Facilitating Your Foundry Research

If your proposal has recently been accepted, please contact Lorri St. Claire at 510.486.7493, David Bunzow at 510.486.4574, or email foundry@lbl.gov for initial instructions.

Beginning Your Project

Access to the Molecular Foundry is free of charge for approved, non-proprietary research.  (Proprietary projects pay a “full-cost recovery” rate during the period when the project is active.)  Onsite Users bear their own living, local transportation and travel costs.

Prior to beginning a project, Users (all persons listed on the proposal) must have each of his or her home institutions complete a two-stage User Agreement for non-proprietary projects or a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for proprietary projects.  Users may also need to complete an applicable Materials Transfer Agreement, which covers transfer of specific materials from the Foundry to the User’s home institution. (Note: Users from LBNL, any University of California campus or other DOE National Lab are covered under an existing Materials Transfer Agreement and need not complete another.)

The User will also complete a more detailed EH&S questionnaire, initiate LBL onsite guest processing by contacting the User Office or the Division’s Human Resources Office, and contact the Lead Facility’s Director to have their project assigned to a Foundry scientist. 

The assigned Foundry scientist, the User’s primary contact, will ensure that the project progresses and that all onsite Users comport to LBNL’s safety policies and procedures. Only the assigned Foundry scientist can authorize the commencement of the research. He or she will arrange the onsite visits and the scheduling of work with the User.

Completing Your Project

Final Project Report

Users are required to submit a Final Project Report within 30 days of completion of their project. This report is necessary for any subsequent proposal submission by the same User. A detailed discussion of the project along with a list of the resulting publications or patents is required.

Publications, Presentations and Proper Acknowledgement

It is expected that all User project results of sufficient scientific merit will be prepared for publication and submitted to a journal within a reasonable time. All those who contributed intellectually at a significant level should be shown as authors. Your assigned Foundry scientist will expect to review such a paper before its submission to a journal. Journal acceptances and publication dates pertaining to User work are to be reported to the User Program office for addition to the Final Report. Publications resulting from research conducted as a Foundry User project must carry the following acknowledgment:

“Work at the Molecular Foundry was supported by the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.”

Code of Conduct

All Foundry Users, whether onsite or offsite, are expected to abide by the Molecular Foundry’s User Code of Conduct.  Users should also review the Code of Conduct for Foundry Staff and Guests.

An Approach to Preempting Conflict at the Molecular Foundry
The pace of scientific discovery at the Molecular Foundry is exhilarating, fostered by collaborative interactions among our community of users and staff. The value of any discovery made here ultimately derives from both its scientific merits and its respectfulness of that environment. We encourage our researchers to think beyond the science, and to reflect genuinely on the ethical standards of their activities, and whether engaging in those activities could lead to a potential conflict or conflict of interest within the community. Such concerns often turn out to be benign. Should questions remain, however, Facility Directors are available to mentor individuals in these instances to preempt conflict. Staff and Users are expected to make discoveries in stride with the highest standards of conduct.

Conflict Resolution Process

The Molecular Foundry provides a scientifically stimulating and congenial environment where researchers from diverse backgrounds can collaborate with staff and each other in pursuit of breakthrough innovations that leverage our unique capabilities. We are nevertheless cognizant that conflicts may arise in such an engaged research environment. The Molecular Foundry has a formal grievance mechanism to resolve conflicts that arise among the community of users and staff. Parties seeking redress or resolution of a conflict can petition the Foundry Director, who will, if warranted, appoint an ad hoc committee to review the matter under dispute. The committee, composed of representatives from the Scientific Advisory Board or Foundry community, will advise the Director on the fair resolution of the dispute.

EH&S Training

During the proposal assessment and approval process, Users are informed of all necessary training and/or special preparation required to ensure that the project meets LBNL safety standards. Most commonly-required EH&S training courses are available on-line and can be completed before arrival. This institutional training is often supplemented by on-the-job safety training provided by Foundry scientists and technicians. EH&S training, and implementation of specified controls peculiar to a User project must be completed before work will be authorized. Users must seek training before using any equipment or technique with which they are not sufficiently familiar to ensure that the risk of damage is minmized. Users who will be onsite for 7 days or less and will be working under the direct supervision of Foundry staff are exempt from formal course requirements, but must be familiar with all relevant EH&S requirements.
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Housing

Nearby short-term housing options are described on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) Accommodations web page, and those seeking long term arrangements should visit the LBNL Housing page.

The Berkeley Lab Guest House provides hotel-like accommodations as well as studio apartments on the Berkeley Lab campus. Many of its 57 tastefully appointed rooms offer spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, skyline, and city of Berkeley. Only minutes from the UC Berkeley campus, the Guest House offers competitive rates and a superior guest experience.

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If you have any questions regarding the User Program, please contact David Bunzow and Lorri St. Claire at foundry@lbl.gov, or 510.486.7493.