Opening the Doors: Converting a University Laboratory into an Open-Access Facility

Abstract

Many of the world's most successful open-access laboratory facilities have grown out of universities where existing infrastructure, expertise and research networks have provided a solid foundation for the provision of specialized laboratory services to the wider research community. However, the core aims and business model of an open-access facility may be quite different to that of a host university, presenting a number of operational challenges. Our experiences in converting a university nanofabrication facility to part of a national open-access facility are presented as a case-study.