Access
Our equipment is managed independently of individual research projects, ensuring that researchers from any school or faculty within DCU—and even from external academic institutions or industry—can leverage these shared resources. Access is flexible and designed to support a wide range of research needs, from high-level academic studies to industry collaborations.
How Access Works
Access to DCU Core Technologies is open to all researchers. Users can either operate equipment independently, with usage charged at an hourly rate, or submit work orders for our technical staff to run and analyse samples on their behalf, with charges covering both technical time and equipment usage. This flexible approach allows researchers to select the model that best fits their needs—whether receiving full training for independent operation or relying on the expertise of staff for fully managed support.
User Training
- Contact: Researchers get in touch with a Technical Specialist via email or through PPMS. A PPMS profile is created if necessary.
- Training: Hands-on training is provided, and the user’s competency is evaluated. Approved users have their training records stored for reference.
- Booking & Use: Once approved, users can book instruments through PPMS and operate them independently as required.
- Payment: Booked hours are used for invoicing. Internal users are charged through the DCU financial system, while external users receive a formal invoice.
Work Order
- Contact: Researchers contact a Technical Specialist to discuss their project.
- Work Proposal: The project is scoped in detail, and a proposal—including costs and timelines—is provided for approval.
- Approval & Work Execution: The client approves the proposal and submits a purchase order (PO) to Core Technologies. Technical staff carry out the work according to the approved scope.
- Invoicing & Delivery: The final analysis report or product is delivered to the client, and invoicing is completed.
Core Facility Model
In 2018, a pan-European working group recommended that core facilities should follow clear principles to ensure sustainability and impact. A core facility:
- must operate on an open-access basis
- must be independent from individual research projects or centres
- must have a dedicated management and governance structure
- must be accessible to external users
- should have centralised technical and/or administrative support
Why Open Access Matters
Our open-access model makes advanced technologies available to all, maximising the use of equipment and ensuring long-term sustainability. Key benefits include:
- Maximised resources – reduces duplication of instruments and ensures sustainable service and maintenance.
- Retained expertise – permanent technical specialists safeguard knowledge beyond individual projects.
- Research efficiency – frees up time for researchers to focus on income generation and discovery.
- Broader access – supports more PhD projects, students, and external collaborations.
- Lower barriers – attracts new talent by removing the need for individual equipment investment.
- Collaboration & impact – promotes cross-disciplinary work and accelerates real-world outcomes.
- High-quality data – enables more sophisticated experiments with reproducible, reliable results.
- Financial sustainability – creates a long-term, cost-effective ecosystem for world-class research.