Guide for Users

The Molecular Foundry User Program offers domestic and international researchers (Users) from academia, industry, and government laboratories direct access to the Foundry, other LBNL User facilities and affiliated nanoscience research labs. Access to the Foundry is gained through a peer-reviewed proposal process. User proposals undergo an internal feasibility assessment encompassing technical instrumentation, EHS and staffing resource considerations. Proposals for projects deemed feasible are then evaluated and scored by an external Proposal Study Panel (PSP). This review focuses on scientific merit, expected impact, and User capability.  An average of eight weeks is required from submission to author notification.

Approved, non-proprietary projects receive no-cost access to staff and laboratory facilities.  Proprietary users, those wishing to maintain confidential data, pay a fixed rate, currently $15K per month for projects requiring average level of access to staff and instrumentation.

Types of Projects
The Proposal Review Process
Administrative Details (cost, IP, scope expansion, renewals)
Code of Conduct
EH&S Training
Housing
Onsite Details
Final Project Report
Publications, Presentations and Proper Acknowledgement
Agreement Forms


Types of Projects

A proposal may request the use of a single Foundry facility or several.   Multi-facility projects are encouraged and can result in more favorable proposal ratings since they make the best use of the Foundry’s unique capabilities.

Standard Projects:

  1. Synthesis of nanostructures

  2. Preparation of new nanoscale materials or devices

  3. Training in new methods

  4. Development of new methods

  5. Instruction in the replication of Foundry instruments and techniques

  6. Pursuit of long term collaborations with Foundry staff

Sample-Only Project:

A request for material regularly synthesized at the Foundry, and thus requiring no dedicated staff (i.e. routinely generated peptoids or quantum dots).  Accelerated review for feasibility and merit by the Foundry Directorate without PSP evaluation.

Instrument-Only Project:

A project requiring limited access to a specialized Foundry instrument and little staff time.  Accelerated review for feasibility and merit by the Foundry Directorate without PSP evaluation.

Proprietary Project:

Like a standard project, but with the intent to withhold research results from publication for up to 5 years. Although the proposed work may be proprietary, sufficient information must be included in the proposal to permit evaluation of its scientific merit. 

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The Proposal Review Process

Proposal Submission

There are three proposal submission deadlines each year. Proposals can be submitted at any time before each deadline, and are accepted in electronic form only, using the Proposal Submission link on the Foundry homepage  http://foundry.lbl.gov/

The simple online forms, to be completed by the submitter, allow for concise definition of the intended scientific research and input of requisite administrative information such as:

  • Contact information for all parties involved in project

  • Type of project

  • Funding agency supporting User's project

  • User's home institution’s Contracts Office information

  • Foundry facilities or affiliated laboratories being requested and why

  • Previous contact with Foundry staff in preparation of your proposal

  • Long-term goal of the research program and its intended impact on the field

  • Description of the project components to be done at the Foundry and at the home institution

  • Expected frequency and/or duration of stay at the Foundry

  • CV of the Project Leader and other supporting technical material the User would like to submit

Assignment of Foundry Lead & Support Facilities:

One primary facility is assigned the responsibility of coordinating the work activities for the project should it be approved. However, the Lead and all requested (Support) facilities have input into the initial feasibility assessment.

Feasibility assessment:

Each proposal first receives an internal technical and EH&S feasibility assessment. Occasionally this entails discussion of proposed experiments with the Lead facility staff.

External Proposal Study Panel Review:

External proposal review adheres to the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) criteria of scientific merit, technical feasibility, impact on field, and capabilities of investigator(s). The review consists of both weighted questions and written commentary, with the heaviest weighting being assigned to scientific merit.

User Notification:

Proposal decisions are reached approximately eight weeks after the submission deadline. If the project is approved the User will be notified and asked to facilitate his or her institution’s completion of a User Agreement (see below), to complete a more detailed EH&S questionnaire, to initiate LBL onsite guest processing by contacting the User Office or the Division’s Human Resources Office, andto contact the primary facility’s Lead Scientist to have their project assigned to a Foundry scientist. 

Assignment to a Foundry Scientist:

An 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.

User Agreement:

PRIOR to beginning a project, the User must ensure that an executed User Agreement between Berkeley Lab and each home institution named on their proposal is on file with the Lab’s Sponsored Projects Office (SPO). Users from LBNL and any of the University of California campuses are exempt from the User Agreement requirement.

Types of Agreements

  • Pre-competitive User Agreement
    This is the most commonly used agreement and applies when the approved project is non-proprietary (i.e. the intent is to publish data).

  • Co-operative Research and Development Agreement (the CRADA)
    Used when the approved project is proprietary (i.e. the intent is to protect data) and involves substantial collaboration with Foundry staff. Like the simpler Pre-competitive User Agreement, it is also handled through LBL’s Sponsored Projects Office (SPO). By law, the User must pay the full cost of the work (see above).

  • Materials Transfer Agreement
    The transfer of any materials that were synthesized at the Foundry requires the execution of an MTA between the User’s home institution and the Lab’s Technology Transfer Office. This must be completed before material is removed from the Foundry.

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Administrative Details

Cost of Molecular Foundry use:

Access to the Molecular Foundry is free of charge for approved non-proprietary research.  Proprietary projects pay a “full-cost recovery” rate which is recalculated annually—now $15,000 per month during the period when the project is active for a project requiring an average level of instrument and staff use.

Onsite users bear their own living, local transportation and travel costs

Intellectual Property:

  • IP that is conceived of or reduced to practice by the User in the course of a User project is owned by the User. IP that is conceived of or reduced to practice by Foundry staff in the course of a User project is retained by the UC Regents.

  • IP jointly conceived during a User project—both the User and the UC Regents own and can elect to retain title to patents.

Expanding the scope of approved work:

Extension of the research beyond the scope outlined in the proposal does not usually require a new proposal submission unless the additional work becomes sufficiently complex as to require significant additional resources. Any change in work that introduces qualitatively or quantitatively new hazards must be reviewed by the Division’s EH&S Manager and authorized by the assigned staff. It is the Lead Scientist’s responsibility to determine if and when the approved thresholds have been crossed and to recommend to the User and the User Office that a new proposal is warranted.

Follow-on / Renewal Projects:

A renewal proposal is required for any project that extends beyond one year. Review will be based in large part on progress made during the first year. Review and notification can take 6-8 weeks.

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Code of Conduct

All Foundry Users, whether onsite or offsite, are expected to abide by the Molecular Foundry’s User Code of Conduct.  (see below)

EH&S Training

Training and/or special preparation might be required of the onsite User so that LBNL safety standards are met is identified during the proposal assessment and approval process. 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 their 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 Lab’s "Accommodations" website, and the “Living in Berkeley” website (select "Living in Berkeley" and then "Housing" from the menu).
A few apartments are maintained by the LBNL Advanced Light Source User facility, and are available to Foundry users on a first come first served basis: http://www-als.lbl.gov/als/quickguide/housing.html or contact the ALS at alsrooms@lbl.gov or (510) 486-7666.

Onsite Details

  • Upon Arrival
    Users who will be at the Foundry for more than seven days will need an LBNL site badge; call the         Materials Science HR office (486-6685 or 486-6509) A parking permit can also be arranged at the badging office. Badges must be worn at all times while on the premises and must be returned to the Foundry User Office prior to final departure.

  • Desk space
    Onsite Users are assigned deskspace by the Lead Scientist of their project’s Lead facility. Copy machines, printers, other routine office equipment and a kitchen area are provided. Visitors have access to the LBNL wireless LAN for Internet and printer services. Users wishing access to the Foundry’s file server, Nanofiler, will be given a password-protected login.

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Final Project Report

Users are required to submit a Final Project Report upon 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 of publications 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.”

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Agreement Forms:
USER AGREEMENT
CRADA
MATERIALS TRANSFER AGREEMENT
USER CODE OF CONDUCT
STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT