The Centre is open to researchers from academic institutions. Academic users can work independently via self-service open access, or have their samples processed by our staff through full-service. Below you will find eligibility, the steps to get started, and academic pricing.
Should you wish to undertake a commercial project as part of your academic access, please contact us to obtain the exact terms on which this is possible.
The preferred way for academic users is self-service open access. The instrument running cost is fully covered by the Centre — users pay only the administration and training fees. Self-service users gain independent access to all labs and can book any instrument once authorised for it through proper training.
Sign up through the Centre's user registration system. Your registration is confirmed once we receive your signed User Fee Agreement and Solemn Declaration.
Print, sign, and (if applicable) have your faculty advisor or sponsor sign it. Bring it to the User Office or email a scan to cem@ipm.cz.
Work through the User Manual and complete the online test for each lab section you intend to work in (see General training).
Schedule a laboratory safety excursion with the User Office. Users handling dangerous chemicals (e.g. HF) must also complete the “Handling of toxic and dangerous chemical substances” training.
Once the access requirements are complete, you can begin instrument-specific training and start working independently.
During your access, send us your publications and scientific outputs (with acknowledgement to the Centre). When renewing, submit a new User Fee Agreement with your list of publications, or an activity report if none were produced.
| Access to all equipment via the booking system | CZK / year | EUR / year |
|---|---|---|
| Standard self-service user fee (from 1 Jan 2024) | 40,000 | ≈ 1,633 |
| Discounted rate for CzechNanoLab members* | 20,000 | ≈ 816 |
* Available to users who have already paid the full user fee at another CzechNanoLab site, for the remaining validity period of that active membership. Example: if the original membership is valid until 5 May 2027, the discounted access may be granted only until that date.
For occasional users where training is not feasible, our staff can process your samples as a full service. No training is required — your samples are handled by Centre staff, and you may be present at the measurement only as a visitor under supervision of authorised personnel.
Contact the User Office at cem@ipm.cz (or by phone) to discuss your processing needs.
The finance department sends a quotation for the requested services. Internal invoicing from CEITEC/BUT projects can be supported.
If you agree with the quotation, send the purchase order back to the User Office.
Our staff process your samples and prepare a processing / measurement report.
Upon agreement, an invoice is emailed together with your samples or measurement data.
| Instrument group | from CZK / h | from EUR / h |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission electron microscopy (TEM / HRTEM / STEM) | 2,800 | ≈ 120 |
| Scanning electron microscopy & FIB-SEM | 1,600 | ≈ 70 |
| Desktop SEM | 1,200 | ≈ 50 |
| Scanning probe microscopy (AFM / SPM) | 1,600 | ≈ 70 |
| Sample preparation | 1,200 | ≈ 50 |
Indicative rates only — an additional fee applies for analysis of results if requested. EUR amounts are approximate (≈ 24 CZK = 1 EUR).
In any publication of results achieved at the Centre, please acknowledge its use in all resulting publications, as instructed in our acknowledgement guidelines.
The type of service has no influence on authorship policy — paid service is not a waiver for ignoring authorship. All contributors who have made substantive intellectual contributions to a paper should be given the opportunity to be credited as authors, regardless of the financial arrangement.
Contact our User Office to register, request the User Fee Agreement, or discuss a full-service project.