General Requirements for Accessing the Potsdam 1280-HR

Nearly all work conducted in the GFZ SIMS lab falls into one of two categories: (1) approved collaborative projects that will lead to publications in the international scientific literature, and (2) our own work aimed at advancing the capabilities of the facility, and in particular the development of new RMs.  All scientists wishing to use our facility must submit a research proposal, and this will be evaluated for both scientific excellence as well as for the amount of effort required to achieve the project's stated goals.  As of July 2026, all user projects that are to be supported by our user facility must be assessed by the laboratory’s Advisory Committee before work can begin.  Publications using our data must include at least one co-author from the SIMS staff; this staff member will be responsible for planning data collection, assuring data quality and assisting with the relevant parts of the subsequent publication(s).

1. Contact the head of the SIMS facility (Michael Wiedenbeck) to discuss the overall feasibility of the planned research.
2. If a project seems possible then refine your research plan and submit a lab access proposal (this form is available below for download, see below).
3. Your proposal will be evaluated by our facility’s external Advisory Committee, being ranked against other competing applications.  Projects will be prioritized based on the Committee’s ranking of their geological importance.
4. The necessary amount of machine time will be scheduled for your work -- for most projects it is expected that the user will travel to Potsdam to be involved in the data collection.
5. In general, the user is responsible for preparing the sample mounts and to complete all other necessary advance work (SEM imaging, electron probe analyses, etc.).
6. The measurement-ready samples will need to arrive in Potsdam at two weeks in advance of the measurement session.  The laboratory staff will check that the sample preparation is up to the standards required to assure the best possible data quality.  If the sample preparation is not of the needed quality then the project will most likely be delayed.
7. Each sample mount will be ultrasonically clean, gold coated and photographed using reflected light microscopy.  For routine analyses the measurement locations can be selected in advance using the facility's motorized white light microscope, thereby saving time during your SIMS session.
8. The measured SIMS data, processed data and any imaging we collect will be provided to the user within a few days of completing a given session.  We will also provide you with a methods description that can be used for the subsequent publication.
9. All users are required to keep both their project’s contact person as well as the head of the facility informed as their project progresses towards publication

By submitting an application for collaboration with the Potsdam SIMS user facility, you will be agreeing to the following points:

1. Publishing of Results: Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the data will be used for at least one manuscript to appear in the international scientific literature.  It is expected that such a manuscript will be submitted for publication within 12 months of completing SIMS data collection.  Should particular circumstances require a delay in submission then the user must inform their contact person on the SIMS staff at the earliest possible date.
2. Preparation of Manuscripts: Manuscripts which are to be submitted for publications shall be sent to the SIMS contact person in a timely fashion; that staff member will review the SIMS component and will recommend any points where improvements might be made.  The SIMS facility staff member collaborating on your project will also have the opportunity to comment on the other scientific aspects of the manuscript, though here the final judgement will remain with the lead author.
3. Open Access Publication: The GFZ is committed to the publication of all work within the framework of open access publishing.  Publications using Potsdam SIMS data are to be made freely accessible in an open access environment immediately on publication or - via repositories - no later than six months after the original publication.  Free choice of a peer-reviewed medium of publication, to draw maximal attention to the research results, remains unchanged.  If published in an Open Access journal the PI on the project is to inform the head of the facility immediately upon publication.  If the work is published in a subscription journal then, upon acceptance for publication, the project leader shall provide the final (pre-typesetting) version of the paper to us.  The GFZ library will prepare this in a format for public access, taking embargo periods into account.
4. Data Publication: The Helmholtz Association is committed to producing open access data-sets which conform to the FAIR principles.  The data produced in the SIMS laboratory will normally be published as a data publication with a DOI that can be cited.  This can be done either through the GFZ data services or via an equivalent service, and the data publication will typically be released to the public at the time of publication of the first paper.  If no paper is forthcoming, we reserve the right to publish the data-set no later than 24 months after completion of the SIMS analyses (or at another date as agreed with the collaborator).  Prior to running a project, the user will need to complete a template providing the metadata for the samples; this information will be included in the data publication.  An example of a SIMS data publication can be found at:
   https://dataservices.gfz.de/panmetaworks/showshort.php?id=87f693f8-11d0-11ee-95b8-f851ad6d1e4b
5. Conference Contributions: Any abstracts for scientific conferences which make use of Potsdam SIMS data are also to be sent to us.  A pdf-format file of any posters or a powerpoint file for any talk should also be sent; these will be published on our SIMS web site.
6. Disclaimer: We continually strive to provide high-quality data.  Nonetheless, we shall not be held liable in the event that results from our facility are subject of subsequent revision.  Furthermore, we will not be held responsible for samples lost in transit.

Researchers interesting in using the Potsdam SIMS facility should please check with the head of the facility at an early stage regarding fees for accessing our instrumentation.

After having contacted the head of the SIMS lab and after having accessed the feasibility of your project you should download the following pdf-format file with which you will formally apply for accessing the Potsdam SIMS lab.

Please download the pdf file first before filling it out.

Please complete this form and return it as an E-mail attachment to michael.wiedenbeck(at)gfz.de

It may then take several weeks before the project proposal can be fully evaluated and ranked according the competing demands for machine access.  You will be informed as soon as an action is taken.

Thank you for your interest in collaborating with our facility...