Applying for Scanner Time
When applying for scanner time please provide as much detail as you can when completing the form. We are happy to discuss your project at any stage to make sure that we help you to get the most from our facilities.
Scanner time applications are approved by the Executive Committee which meets monthly. Generally an application must be received two weeks in advance to be considered by the meeting. The dates of upcoming Executive Committee meetings are listed on the management page.
At various stages of your project you may be asked for brief updates and when the project is complete a final report and/or information regarding publications or outcomes from development time will be requested.
Guidance for Completion of scanning application
Ethics, health and safety
Please make sure your ethics submission includes appropriate text on incidental findings, data sharing and tattoos. Before you start scanning you will also need to provide risk assessment linked to appropriate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Our standard SOPs and master risk assessments are on the workspace page, but contact us before doing this for the first time, or for access to the Workspace page. Contact us here: PP-SPMIC-Scanning.
Funding
The SPMIC will consider partially funded or unfunded applications, particularly from completely new users. However if you wish to apply for scanner time at a reduced rate, please make a strong case on the application form. If you apply for unfunded development time you will be expected to share your results with the rest of the SPMIC in a documented manner. Please remember to include time to acquire pilot data and for drop outs or lost data sets. e.g. If your study requires 20 volunteers, you may need to allow for three pilot sessions and to collect two additional data sets because of data lost due to motion or similar problems.
We may offer a discount for grant applications that will fund more than 100 hours of scanning per year, if such a reduction is likely to provide better chances of securing the grant. The SPMIC will need two weeks to make a decision on such requests, email spmic_scanning@nottingham.ac.uk in the first instance.
We are keen to support new research tenure track fellows and substantive academic appointments to access our facilities. If other resources are limited, we will provide support to access our scanner (ideally as matched funding). Please contact the Facility Manager (Andrew Peters) in the first instance.
Scanner time application process
All applications for scanner time will be processed according to the below flow chart.
Once the scanner time application form has been submitted, all application forms will be processed by the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre. Depending on the nature of the study and levels of funding all applications will be reviewed and checked within 12 working days to ensure a rapid turnaround and the final decision about using one of our scanners is confirmed.
If you have not heard back from us within the agreed timeframe please call Louise Cowell 0115 9514747
Download the scanning flow chart (pdf)