Users fees

• No flat-rate services (training or service etc.), every hour will be accounted for.
• No special rates for night or weekend use (to be auditable).
• Differentiation between self-use (trained user independent use of equipment) and “Full-Service” (operator assisted: equipment operated by CIME staff).
• In “Full-Service” the machine time will be billed as in self-use and the operator (CIME staff) time will be added. These costs are eligible for reimbursement through the funding agencies.
• The CIME equipment has been grouped into classes of instruments (see table).
• Specimen preparation done by CIME staff for materials science will be billed as Full-Service.

Introduction to SEM and TEM will be billed on a hourly basis. Although it will be fully operator assisted (like Full-Service) the operator hours will not be added to the bill, and in “bulk trainings” (small groups for the very basic introduction) the time (and cost) will be split evenly between the participants.

Advanced techniques training (for example EDXS, special detectors, charge compensation, EELS, tomography etc.) and transition to another equipment will be billed like Full-Service.

Training and Services in the framework of semester projects (SEM only) and master projects (SEM and TEM) will be billed on machine time basis (no operator costs). At the end of the project a reimbursement (subsidy) of the paid bills up to the following limits can be claimed by the lab:

Master thesis: max. 4000.- Fr.

Master project (1 day per week): max. 1000.- Fr.

Bachelor semester project (4h/week): max. 500.- Fr. 

The new cost structure makes the platform cost eligible for third party funding. Please feelfree to contact the CIME for help and advice when putting electron microscopy work in a grant application.