FAQ

We're very familiar with contractual issues and fully appreciate that many companies cannot disclose information without first putting in place a non-disclosure agreement.  We often need some information in order to assess feasiblity of experiments, so the easiest approach is to have a two-way NDA.  Please contact us on industry@diamond.ac.uk to start the process.

We offer a flexible service with the fastest possible turnaround. Experimental time is scheduled regularly throughout the year and is available on a first-come first-served basis. For some techniques, due to additional capacity at Diamond or short measurement time, we may be able to offer an experimental date much sooner than for longer complex experiments where we have limited availability.

We try to schedule experiments as soon as possible and if you are working on a time-critical project, please let us know and we'll do our best to find a suitable time.

We have experimental time available every month on average (subject to availability) but have previously been able to measure samples within two days of the request so it's always worth checking with us about current availability.

Please note that for long (more than 24 hours) or complex experiments, additional planning, experimental design or equipment may be required which has implications for scheduling. We're always happy to help, so please speak to us directly about your specific requirements.

The Industrial Liaison Office is staffed by a team of scientists dedicated to helping industry access Diamond. If you have a question about any stage of the process, please give us a call on +44(0)1235 778797 or e-mail us at industry@diamond.ac.uk.

When you arrive at Diamond, you will collect your access badge from the User Office and complete the safety test if you have not already done so. If this is your first experiment at Diamond, you will then be met by a member of the Industrial Liaison Office, or your local contact, who will take you to the beamline. Your local contact will then help "set up" the beamline to optimise the instruments for your experiment. The amount of time this takes will vary by technique and according to the complexity of your experiment.

Your local contact will make sure that you are familiar with the safety procedures and will train you to use the beamline. Your local contact will stay with you until you are confident in operating the beamline by yourself. He/she can be easily contacted by phone during the day to answer any questions. There is an on-call system for out-of-hours technical support.

We can also offer additional scientific support, please contact us for more information.

Yes, we recognise that you may not have the time or experience with a technique to enable you to analyse your experimental data with confidence and we're happy to help.

Rest assured, we will agree the amount of work involved on both sides and set specific milestones before the experiment so that you can judge how useful the data are to your project and how much time investment you want to make in analysing the results. It's in your hands.

During an experiment, technical support is available throughout the day from your local contact and via an on call scheme out-of-hours.

For more advanced scientific support, the Industrial Liaison Office provides a full data collection and analysis service. For longer-term support for projects, it may be possible to arrange a collaboration. Please contact us to discuss any of these possibilities.

Yes, we can provide either a data collection or full analysis service depending on your requirements. For some techniques there are specific sample holders or mounting methods and we'll also need some information about the samples, consistent with maintaining confidentiality, that enables Diamond to assess any safety implications of the experiment.

Remote access is available on a limited range of beamlines at present. Please contact us at industry@diamond.ac.uk for the latest information.

The details on sample handling are specific for each technique and beamline. For further information on your proposed experiment, please contact the Industrial Liaison Office who will be able to advise.

Of course this is a very important consideration but please be aware that all work is priced on a per-job basis based on the amount of time and level of support that you will need for your experiment.

We strive to be flexible and cost effective and so we charge by the hour based on what you need rather than by larger blocks of time and we have no minimum number of samples. If you just have one sample, that's great.

For standard measurements, for example room temperature data collection for powder diffraction, the cost is analogous to a standard analytical lab service although the data will be of much higher resolution. For more complex in situ experiments performed as a service, the costs are likely to be higher and will be related to the amount of instrument and staff time necessary for a successful experiment.

Please send us some information about your proposed experiment and we'll be able to provide you with a quote.

All types. Our industrial users range from large multinationals through to SMEs and startups and represent industrial sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals and personal care products through to chemicals, advanced materials, energy, catalysis and engineering.

For companies doing peer reviewed research (i.e. results are open for publication) Diamond will be ‘free at the point of access’. In order to get beamtime through this route the user must submit a proposal which will assessed by a peer review panel and will be graded according to its scientific merit. The Industrial Liaison Office can advise on the preparation of proposals for beamtime.

Commercial companies wishing to undertake proprietary research (i.e. results are confidential) need to purchase beamtime. Discussions on individual user requirements can be undertaken with the Industrial Liaison Office, please contact us for further information.

If you have been significantly affected by lost beamtime due to malfunction of the machine, we will try and reschedule your experiment as soon as possible.

You can log in to the UAS (http://uas.diamond.ac.uk) using your Fed ID and password to watch the Safety Video and take the Safety Test online.

Under the “home” tab there is a box entitled “Diamond Safety Test”. You will need to click on this button to watch a safety video. You will then need to follow the links to complete an online test.

The Health & Safety test will be valid for 6 months unless there have been significant changes at Diamond Light Source. If users return to Diamond Light Source before 6 months has passed then they will not be required to retake the Health & Safety test.

When your experiment date has been confirmed by the Industrial Liaison Office, the User Office will issue each experimental team member with a FedID and password. If you haven't received yours yet, please contact the User Office.

Yes, all rooms are en-suite (all have showers no baths). All the rooms are identical apart from the three which are designed for wheelchair access.

Ridgeway House is a shared facility for STFC & Diamond users. Rooms will be available for Diamond users and those with beamtime will have priority over any other requests. However, these will be on a first-come first-served basis.

There is some car parking for guests staying at Ridgeway House. Guests may unload their luggage next to Ridgeway House and may park their cars if space is available. If not, they will be asked to park their car in the parking spaces around the ring with closest access to the beamlines. Please note that parking spaces are limited.