Working with us

As a major hub for preclinical imaging at UCL, we welcome interests from non-affiliated researchers, both within and external to UCL, to collaborate with us. Our facilities include state-of-the-art imaging systems (MRI, PET, SPECT, microCT, ultrasound/photoacoustic imaging, and in vivo bioluminescence/fluorescence imaging) and an in-house Biological Services Unit (mouse and rat holding rooms, surgery room, and procedure rooms). Priority will be given to projects that significantly involve our staff members, although our facilities can be made available purely as a resource.

Request for access is subject to a review process and should be submitted as a "UCL CABI Project Proposal" in the first instance. Potential collaborators will be invited to discuss their projects with a CABI staff member and complete a "CABI Agreement for Work". A completed "CABI Agreement for Work" is required before any work can commence. More details can be found below. 

Information on opportunities to join us as a PhD student or a staff member can be found here.

Further detail

Study initiation and approval

• If you have not used CABI facilities before or your study involves any researcher who has not used CABI facilities before, please allow at least one month for the approval process. As a start, please submit a “UCL CABI Project Proposal”. Your request will be reviewed by the CABI Senior Management Team during its monthly meeting, and a decision will be made based on the scientific content of the proposal and the availability of the requested facilities.
   
• If you have used CABI facilities before, please allow at least two weeks for the approval process. Please note that a new study cannot be set up if you have outstanding payments.
   
• You must have a preliminary meeting with a CABI staff member (“CABI approver”) to discuss study details and costs. If you wish to proceed, you will be asked to complete a “CABI Agreement for Work” with the help of your CABI approver. The agreement is only complete if:
  1. A unique “Study code” is created for your study by the relevant CABI staff member and entered into the form. This will be used by you to book facilities.
  2. A “Study type” is selected. “Collaboration” applies when the grant that funds your study has at least one CABI staff member as a co-investigator. In this case, you will be charged at rates that are specified in your grant. Otherwise, “Facility use only” applies and you will be charged at standard rates (see "Facility charge rates and booking rules" below).
  3. The “Title” section is complete.
  4. The “Start and end dates” section is complete. A study can be no longer than one year, and the end date must be at least one month before the end of the grant that funds your study.
  5. The “Researcher name(s)” section is complete. If multiple researchers are named, please identify a Principal Researcher who is in an appropriate position of responsibility to both oversee the study and provide funding for it. Only researchers named in an agreement are covered by the agreement. You must not bring any unnamed person into CABI laboratories. Once a study has started, if you wish to change the list of researchers involved, your agreement will need to be amended.
  6. The “Researcher organisation(s)” section is complete.
  7. The “CABI approver name” section is complete.
  8. Estimations of itemised costs for all required facilities are entered into the “Cost Estimation” section. You will be charged according to actual usage, but if the estimated total cost is above £1,000.00, a pre-payment of 50% of the estimated total cost is required before any work can commence. Unused fund will be returned to you after the study finishes. If the actual cost exceeds the estimated total cost by more than 20% during your study, your access to facility booking calendars will be suspended. You can either amend your agreement to continue the study or terminate the study.
  9. Valid details have been entered into the “Payment Method” section. Internal UCL researchers should provide details for an Interdepartmental Transfer (IDT) order. Researchers external to UCL should provide details of a Purchase Order (PO).
  10. Both the Principal Researcher and your CABI approver have signed the agreement.
• Once a complete “Agreement for Work” is in place, you must undergo all necessary inductions, trainings, and risk assessments before any work can commence.
  1. You must complete a general CABI health and safety induction with the CABI Laboratory Manager.
  2. If you wish to use the CABI animal holding rooms (B07E and B07F), you must complete an induction with the Biological Services Unit (BSU) Facility Manager. You must also ensure that your animal work is covered by appropriate and active personal licences (PILs) and project licences (PPLs) for the duration of the study.
  3. You must complete trainings for the facilities you wish to use with the appropriate CABI staff members.
  4. You must ensure that you work is covered by appropriate risk assessments approved by UCL Safety Services.
• After all necessary inductions, trainings, and risk assessments are completed, you will be granted access to CABI laboratories and facility booking calendars for the duration of your study.
   
• Any amendment to an agreement is subject to the same initiation and approval process for setting up a new agreement.

Collaborative studies

For studies of the "Collaboration" type, we ask all researchers to observe the following requirements, which are essentially expected in any scholarly exchange:

• Researchers will seek to publish their results in peer-reviewed publications or apply for funding based on their pilot study.
   
• Contribution by CABI members will be appropriately acknowledged on submitted manuscripts and funding applications.
   
• Manuscripts for review are required at least two weeks prior to submission.
   
• Digital copies of successful publications or funding applications are made available to your CABI collaborator(s).

Facility charge rates and booking rules

Facility	Location	Charge rate (academia)	Charge rate (industry)	Minimum booking time	Editing or cancellation allowed until
Agilent Varian 9.4 T MRI System	B05C	£200/hr	£240/hr	1 hr	12 hrs before booking starts
Bruker 9.4 T MRI System	B05E	£200/hr	£240/hr	1 hr	12 hrs before booking starts
Mediso PET/CT System	B04C	£200/hr*	£240/hr*	1 hr	12 hrs before booking starts
Mediso SPECT System	B04C	£150/hr*	£180/hr*	1 hr	12 hrs before booking starts
PerkinElmer microCT Imaging System	B04C	£150/hr	£180/hr	30 min	12 hrs before booking starts
VisualSonics Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging System	B07A	£100/hr	£120/hr	30 min	1 hr before booking starts
Photoacoustic Imaging System	B29B	£140/hr	£140/hr	1 hour	1 hr before booking starts
PerkinElmer IVIS Spectrum Imaging System	B07B	£96/hr	£115.20/hr	15 min	1 hr before booking starts
Surgery Room Table 1	B07A	£5/hr + £20 base booking fee per session	£6/hr + £20 base booking fee per session	30 min	1 hr before booking starts
Surgery Room Table 3	B07A	£5/hr + £20 base booking fee per session	£6/hr + £20 base booking fee per session	30 min	1 hr before booking starts
Room for Animal Procedures†	B07B, B07C, and B07D	£8.75/hr	£10.5/hr	30 min	1 hr before booking starts
Tissue Culture Facility	B04D	£10/hr	£12/hr	30 min	1 hr before booking starts

Facility charge rates may change to reflect changes in the cost of consumables, system maintenance, and general upkeep. *, prices do not cover the cost of radionuclides or radiopharmaceuticals. †, these include but are not limited to Schedule 1 culling, transcardial perfusion, intraperitoneal injection, and so on.