Becoming a User – Biosciences Central Research Facility(GZ)

What rules must I be aware of as a BioCRF(GZ) user?

Only the authorized user is allowed to use the facilities in BioCRF(GZ).
When making equipment reservations, authorized user should abide by the booking restrictions and rules of the equipment.
Authorized user should sign the log books as appropriate and report any issues to BioCRF(GZ) staff.
Authorized user should ensure that the equipment is clean and in good working order after use.
USB sticks, hard disks and other external storage devices are strictly prohibited using on BioCRF(GZ) computers. Authorized user should download his/her experimental data from the network disk of Online Booking System or the BioCRF(GZ) Server. For details about how to use BioCRF(GZ) Server, please refer to the 3rd Q&A.
If user does not show up for reservations, he/she will receive a no-show warning with credit point deduction. Other bad behaviors will also lead to credit point deduction. Once the point reaches to -30, user will be suspended for using any equipment in BioCRF(GZ) for at least 15 days. Please pay attention to the regulations on punishment of bad behavior while confirming reservation information.
Any cost of repair due to the misuse of equipment will be charged to the account of the user's supervisor.
The supervisor should inform user about the University's safety and environmental policies, as well as safety statements, standards and procedures related to the user's experiment. The supervisor should also inform the user of any potential hazard and safety precaution.
When come across unexpected machine malfunction, user might not be able to continue their experiments. In this situation, user need to cancel the affected reservations and reschedule.

How do l get equipment access and/or apply for specialized services (Mass Spectrometry, Genomics & Tissue Processing)?

User who plans to get access to self-service in BioCRF(GZ) needs to register an account on the Online Booking System. Then user can apply for HSE safety training of HKUST(GZ) and further BioCRF Safety Orientation Training via online booking system, gaining a view of bio-safety precautions and accident treatments. After those safety training sessions, user can book equipment training to gain access and start to reserve the equipment.

As for applying for services of specific equipment, please refer to the next few sections in Services&Guidelines.

How can I upload and download my experimental data using BioCRF(GZ) Server and how does BioCRF(GZ) manage these data?

User can refer to our Data Download Guide for instructions. BioCRF(GZ) will not use or back up user’s experimental data and user should manage his/her server account effectively according to the allocated storage capability.

Acknowledging BioCRF(GZ)

Acknowledgements of specific instrument use and/or core facility service is a metric tracked by both government agencies and local organizations as a measure of the core facility’s productivity. We kindly ask that you acknowledge BioCRF(GZ) in any publication, grant proposal, poster, scholarly report or presentation, when data is collected or analyzed at BioCRF(GZ).

1. Why Is Acknowledgment Important?

Demonstrates the Value of Core Facilities: Acknowledgment serves as a key metric to highlight the impact of BioCRF(GZ) on scientific research.

Supports Sustainability: Your recognition helps us secure funding and resources to maintain and enhance the quality of our services.

Advances Scientific Progress: By acknowledging us, you enable BioCRF(GZ) to continue providing essential services for more research projects.

We deeply appreciate your acknowledgment and support! It not only validates our efforts but also plays an essential role in fostering a sustainable research ecosystem.

2. How to Acknowledge BioCRF(GZ)?

In the Materials and Methods section of your publication, you may use the following examples:

[experiment] was performed at the Biosciences Central Research Facility at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou).

[analysis] was conducted using [instruments] in the Biosciences Central Research Facility at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou).

In the Acknowledgment section of your publication, you may use the following example:

We thank Biosciences Central Research Facility at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) for supporting the work in the [Flow Cytometry and Cell Culture / Histology / General Equipment / Genomics / Proteomics and Metabolomics / Brain and Cognitive Sciences / Imaging / High Throughput Screening / Synthetic Biology / Structural Biology] Core(s).

3. Tell Us

Please let BioCRF(GZ) (biocrfgz@hkust-gz.edu.cn) know when your research is published so we can track the contributions of the cores.