Usage policy

BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry (CF MS) ...

... offers state-of-the-art instrumentation, techniques and data evaluation for characterization of small molecules and proteins as well as elemental analysis by MS.

General Policy

CF MS offers:

trained user mode
(i.e., direct usage of instrumentation after receiving a training)

or

full service mode
(i.e., experiment performance and experimental report generation by skilled staff)

CF MS staff and the user choose one of these approaches or a combination of both in agreement with each other, depending on the nature of the planned experiment (technical complexity, number of samples etc.), the availability of facility staff, and financial considerations. Due to technical complexity, full service mode is preferred for most experiments.

Independent from the usage mode and the institution/affiliation of the user, CF MS works on a first-come-first-served basis. Exceptions may be made for urgent experiments (e.g., manuscript resubmissions).

Service fees and prices are specified for each type of service or instrumentation. CF MS reserves the right to update prices at any time. Users receive a customized offer per email after a project discussion and before starting the experiment, which they have to confirm in written form (usually per email). Updates of service fees and prices are also valid for ongoing projects.

To start any new project, please contact the facility via ms(at)boku.ac.at to discuss the possibilities available and instructions on how to order service. Users are encouraged to have some initial information ready, such as previous attempts, number and composition of samples, papers that show results similar to those the user would like to obtain, and – most importantly - a clear idea of what one would like to see and what question one would like to answer.

Training

User access to CF MS instrumentation is allowed for all available instruments. Work in the facility is allowed exclusively after receiving a training by CF MS staff. Every individual user has to receive appropriate and instrument specific training by CF MS staff before having personalised access to the respective CF MS instrumentation. Violation of this rule results in the loss of any personalised access to the facility by the user. To schedule training, please contact the facility. If a user has not used instrumentation for a period of more than one year, he/she should see the CF MS staff for an update on usage and – if required – retraining. During training, users will also be made familiar with safety regulations. User who do not comply with training or safety rules may be temporarily or permanently banned from the facility by CF MS staff.

Sample Quality

Before analysis, the preparation procedure and composition of samples and standards must be provided to CF MS staff.

Instrument Booking

Instruments are available to trained users. Instruments and trainings must be booked via our booking software Stratocore (https://ppms.eu/boku/start/). To request a user account, BOKU-internal users have to log in with their BOKU credentials. External users must submit their information (i.e., full name, mail address, phone number, group leader name, billing address) to set up an account in advance via email to ms(at)boku.ac.at. Users must log usage in the PPMS schedule. Cancellations of trainings have to be made within 48 hours before start of the training. Cancellation of instrument booking have to be made two hours before start of instrument time. Unused instrument time has to be cancelled. If not cancelled, the booked instrument time will be charged. For BOKU users, the correct usage category has to be booked!

If instruments become unavailable, CF MS staff will inform all affected users at the earliest possibility via PPMS. CF MS staff reserves the right to cancel bookings on short notice if instrument maintenance or repair needs to be performed. Preventive maintenance will be scheduled to minimize impact on usage. If anything noteworthy happens, e.g., the instrument is not performing as well as usual, an incident as to be reported in PPMS by the user or the CF MS staff has to be informed. Users who repeatedly do not log their correct usage in PPMS will be banned from using the instrument.

It is self-evident that all instrumentation should be used with utmost care, that resources should be used wisely, that users check back with facility staff immediately if anything is unclear or if any problems are experienced with the instrument, and that the instructions laid down in protocols and given by CF MS staff are followed accurately.

If instruments are damaged or are not properly cleaned by the user, cost of cleaning or replacement/repair will be charged. For all instruments exact cleaning instructions and device handover modalities are defined and will be shown to the user during training. 

User Samples and Reagents

All samples and reagents that are brought to the CF MS by users must be clearly labelled with a designation of the compound, the name of the user, the date, risk and safety Statements and hazard symbols. For reasons of safety and cleanliness, unlabelled samples will be discarded by CF MS staff without advance warning. During periods of active work, CF MS users are welcome to store their own samples and reagents in designated areas of the facility (please consult CF MS staff in case you want to do so). These areas have to be emptied, however, when the user finishes work. CF MS staff will discard samples and reagents should users not comply with requests to clean up.

In case the full-service mode is used, users will be informed when experiments carried out for them by CF MS staff are completed. Remaining material/samples will be discarded, unless otherwise stated. Users are kindly asked to pick up any remaining material promptly. Any shipping costs resulting from returning samples to off-campus users must be fully covered by the user.

Waste Management

There are designated waste containers for non-halogenated solvents, halogenated solvents, as well as waste vials.

Detailed instructions will be given during instrument training.

General Lab Equipment

The following basic lab equipment is available at CF MS:

  • Protective equipment (safety glasses, gloves)
  • Pipettes and tips
  • Plastic reaction tubes (non-sterile)
  • Glass bottles and beakers
  • Racks
  • Syringes and syringe filters (0.45µm)
  • LC/GC vials and inserts
  • Balances
  • Magnetic stirrer (heatable) and vortexer
  • MS grade ultrapure water
  • Ultrasonic bath

Users are expected to report to CF MS staff if anything is going to run out of stock. Users are encouraged to report any items they miss in the CF MS repertoire.

If items are not returned, are broken or damaged, or are not properly cleaned, the user will be charged for the cost of cleaning or replacement.

Data Transfer and Storage

Raw data will not be stored by the CF MS! Raw data generated on CF MS instruments will be stored on the respective instrument control computers and deleted after (at the earliest) 5 days. In case of a full service approach, CF MS staff will store the raw data for 3 months, before deleting, unless otherwise stated. If the data evaluation is carried out by the user, it is their responsibility to transfer their own data within 5 days! Please note that you may have limited access to the control PC if the instrument is booked by another user. It is recommended to transfer the data during your own booked instrument session.

 

Publications

If users present data obtained with support of CF MS (publications or oral/poster presentations), they must acknowledge the facility. If the instrument is property of the EQ, both the CF MS and the EQ-BOKU VIBT GmbH have to be cited. Citing the facility in the acknowledgements is the only way we can track the impact of our services. We would appreciate receiving a copy of all publications for which CF MS infrastructure was used. If users need help with preparing a manuscript using data generated via CF MS services (e.g., presentation of data or description of the methodology), please contact CF MS staff. Good scientific practice demands that members of the facility who have contributed intellectually to a publication will be considered as co-authors.

Possible variants (EQ equipment):

1. trained user mode:
"This project was supported by the EQ-BOKU VIBT GmbH and the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."

2. full service mode (e.g., MS by Anna Urbanetz):
"We thank Anna Urbanetz, BSc for conducting MS experiments. The MS equipment was kindly provided by the EQ-BOKU VIBT GmbH and the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."

3. core facility staff member listed as author:
"The MS equipment was kindly provided by the EQ-BOKU VIBT GmbH and the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."

Possible variants (CF MS equipment):

1. trained user mode:
"This project was supported by the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."

2. full service mode (e.g., MS by Anna Urbanetz):
"We thank Anna Urbanetz, BSc for conducting MS experiments. The MS equipment was kindly provided by the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."

3. core facility staff member listed as author:
"The MS equipment was kindly provided by the BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry."