Facilities Guidelines

The facilities of the LBRC, along with technical and scientific support, are made available to qualified outside researchers to pursue projects in various areas of laser biomedicine. Research projects are expected to be substantial in nature and will therefore require use of the facilities for significant periods of time. Hence, resources are normally assigned to a particular project for periods of several weeks or months, on a time-shared basis. All projects must be of a nature to be published promptly in the open literature.

Outside projects can be initiated by contacting Ramachandra Dasari, Associate Director of the Spectroscopy Laboratory. Once the scope of the project is defined, a Research Project Application must be filled out. Proposals must be concise and are evaluated by members of the LBRC's scientific staff on the basis of scientific merit, originality, potential significance and compatibility with available equipment. The review process is rapid, and applicants are promptly notified of the decisions. Participation of researchers from the small business community and from colleges, universities and hospitals, which have limited research facilities is encouraged.

Charge Policy
There is no charge for using the facilities or equipment. Costs for expendable materials are normally borne by researchers on a cost-reimbursable basis. Limited funds are available to non-MIT researchers who lack independent support.

Project Support
Each approved research project is allocated specific laboratory space and equipment for a specified period of time. A member of the staff is assigned as a liaison to each new project. If sharing of equipment and/or space is required, a schedule is worked out by the researcher and the Project Coordinator.

Reports and Publications
All researchers must keep the Director fully informed on the nature and progress of their experiments. Periodic brief progress reports and a final report must be submitted within 30 days after the project has been completed. Results of all research projects will be published in the Spectroscopy Laboratory Summary Report. Significant results should be submitted to technical journals. Acknowledgment of the use of LBRC facilities must be included in each publication. One preprint and two reprints of each publication should be sent to the Director.

Patent Rights
The primary objective of LBRC research is to produce nonpatentable research information. However, inventions may be made in the course of using the facilities. In the case of non-MIT researchers, disposition of the resulting patent rights will be determined by MIT, taking into account the public interest, the obligations to the sponsor, and the rights and equities of MIT and the inventor.

Research Project Application Form (PDF)*
*Requires Adobe Acrobat