Access and costs

Contact details and guidance on access to the facility for staff, students and visitors including costs and application information.

Anyone eligible to apply for a NERC Research Grant can apply for facility time. You can find guidance, application deadlines forms and more below.

Other scientists and commercial users may gain access to the facility for a charge.  If you would like to access the facility, please contact us directly via the contact details below. Note, facility staff are not eligible to apply.

Contact information

Additional information about the NERC Ion Micro-Probe Facility may be obtained by contacting us below. 

Ion Micro-Probe Facility   

  • Email: ionprobe@ed.ac.uk
  • Follow us on Twitter: @IonProbe and Bluesky: @eimf.bsky.social
  • Address: Ion Micro-Probe Facility, Grant Institute, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, EDINBURGH EH9 3FE

Cameca ims 4f Laboratory

Telephone: +44 (0)131 650 4850

Cameca ims 1270 Laboratory

Telephone: +44 (0)131 650 7864

Cameca 7f-Geo Laboratory

Telephone: +44 (0)131 650 5825

Access via NERC application

The application deadline for facility time is 5pm on Friday 17 April 2026.

  • The next Ion Micro-Probe Facility meeting is on Tuesday 12 May. Applications must have been received by 5pm Friday 17 April 2026.
  • Any late applications will be discussed at the next committee meeting.
  • Applications should be sent from the e-mail address of the PI and be a single text document less than 8MB in size in a Microsoft Word format.

Access routes

There are three routes to access the facility. In all cases an application form must be completed and submitted.

Access is subject to availability.

1. Direct access to the facility via NERC scientific support and facilities

Access is through the completion of the Ion Microprobe Application Form and is free of charge. The proposal will be assessed by the Ion Microprobe Facility Steering Committee that meets twice a year. A successful project will be allocated facility time arranged between the facility staff and the applicant. After training, and with supervision, users will be expected to operate the instrument themselves. A successful applicant is required to sign NERCs Data Protocol agreement prior to starting work.

2. Access through NERC Research Grant Proposals

If a Research Grant Proposal submitted to NERC requires Ion Microprobe time, then this must be costed into the application under ‘other directly incurred costs’. The required ion microprobe work and the costs involved should be discussed with our facility staff before the Grant Proposal is submitted.

Following approval of the NERC grant, access for facility time is then made via the completion of the Ion Microprobe Application Form.  A successful project will be allocated facility time, arranged between the facility staff and the applicant. This ‘double jeopardy’ is justified in the NERC Policy and Processes Manual. After training, and with supervision, users will be expected to operate the instrument themselves. A successful applicant is required to sign NERCs Data Protocol agreement prior to starting work.

3. Pilot studies and short projects

For work that requires one day (8 hr), or for a pilot study, a shorter application is sufficient. This application form is the same as the full application, but less detail is required. One Day Applications are assessed by our facility staff and provide rapid access to the facility for pilot studies and short projects.

Re-submissions

If a proposal is a re-submission, then an additional covering letter describing the changes made to the application in response to the Committee's comments is requested.

Access is subject to availability.

Please note that after a project has been approved by the Committee and the applicant has received acknowledgement from NERC, there maybe a delay of up to six months before instrument time is available.  However, our facility staff always try to be flexible and meet the applicants' time restraints.

It is important that the applicant contacts facility staff immediately after receiving the approval letter from NERC so that the access time can be discussed.


Ion Micro-Probe Steering Group Committee

Information on the role of the steering group committee and its current members.

The current members of the Steering Group Committee  are:

Professor Craig Storey

  • (Start Nov 2019). Chair of the IMFSC. School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Burnaby Building Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QL
  • View profile

Dr. Adele Gardner

  • S&F Management Team, British Geological Survey Environmental Science Centre, Nicker Hill Keyworth, Nottingham

Dr. Angela Lamb

  • S&F Management Team, British Geological Survey Environmental Science Centre, Nicker Hill Keyworth, Nottingham

Dr Matt Horstwood

  • (Start Nov 2023) British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG
  • View profile

Dr Margaret Hartley

  • (Start Nov 2023) Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
  • View profile

Dr James Rae

  • (Start May 2022) School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, Bute Building, Queen's Terrace, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TSUK
  • View profile

Professor Chloe Bonamici

  • (Start May 2022) Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lewis G. Weeks Hall, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI, USA 53706-1692
  • View profile

Professor Gregory Price

  • (Start May 2022) School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, B518 Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon
  • View profile

Dr Linda Kirstein

  • Ion Microprobe Facility CO-PI. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK
  • View profile

Dr Alan Hastie

  • Ion Microprobe Facility CO-PI. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK
  • View profile

Dr Sebastian Watt

  • (Start Nov 2022) School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
  • View profile

Analytical Advisers and Ex-officio Members:

Dr J. Craven

  • Ion Microprobe Facility CO-PI. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK
  • View profile

Dr CJ De Hoog

  • School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK
  • View profile

Dr C. Talavera

  • School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK
  • View profile

The Steering Committee exists to:

  • Provide independent advice to the Facility
  • Represent the Facility user community.
  • Review applications for the use of the Facility.
  • Prioritise usage for the Facility.
  • Monitor outputs from the Facility and user satisfaction.
  • Challenge and advise the Facility to not only maximise benefits for the user community (as per the requirements of the Benefits Realisation plan and associated metrics) but to improve and innovate to ensure that the Facility aligns to current and future demand for environmental science.
  • Advise the Facility, the relevant Centre and NERC on aspects of the operations of the Facility and the future vision and direction.

Steering Committee expectation

  • The Steering Committee will advise and challenge the delivery and innovation of the Facility to ensure that it aligns to current and future demand for environmental science and maximises the benefits to users as reported in the Benefits Realisation Plan.
  • It is expected that the Steering Committee would meet annually at a minimum.
  • The Steering Committee will receive the Facilities’ Benefits Realisation Plan from the Facility Management, which they, through the Chair, would be expected to input into, before its submission to the relevant centre contact and ultimately NERC.
  • Members are expected to know who they are representing (e.g. the community, Centre, themselves) and how this influences their role and opinion.

The Chair

  • The Chair should be an independent[1] member.
  • The Chair agrees to meeting agendas, manages effective meetings and reviews the minutes.
  • The Chair should act as the main contact point between the Steering Committee and the relevant Centre.

NOTE [1] Independent – they must not be employed by the Facility and should be an expert in the related science but not a regular user of the facility.


  1. To review applications and/or use of the Facility and make suggestions to the Facility and the relevant Centre. This could include but is not limited to priorities regarding the allocation of the Facility's resources, taking into account recommendations made through the NERC peer review mechanisms.
  2. To review the scientific quality of work undertaken by users utilising the Facility based on reports and publications.
  3. To monitor the level of user satisfaction with the service, review user feedback and analyse the user base. To propose options for improvement if required.
  4. To give guidance to the Centre Contact and Facility Management related to the improvement of the Facility's equipment and its service function.
  5. To represent the wider views of the community on the operation and development of the Facility.
  6. To review and provide advice to the Facility Management on the risk register.
  7. To input into the Benefits Realisation Plan, prepared by the Facility Management, with the Chair and Steering Committee providing a specific update, prior to submission of the plan to the relevant Centre and NERC.
  8. To advise the Centre on:
    • the level and direction of the internal R&D programme for the Facility,
    • anticipated changes in requirements from the Facility and the anticipated levels of future demand for the Facility,
    • opportunities for development and innovation,
    • international benchmarking. 

Steering Committee membership will be decided by the Centre Contact, Head of Facility and the Steering Committee Chair (or in the absence of the Chair, a nominated independent member of the Steering Committee). There will be opportunities for new members to self-nominate to apply to join the Steering Committee, as well as invitations for new members. New members must be approved by the Steering Committee before final appointments are made.

New Chairs will be decided by the Centre Contact, Centre Director, Head of Facility and a member of the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee should have a core membership of between 5-10 members, excluding ex-officio members, and more than 50% of membership should be made up by independent members.

Any member may, with the advance agreement of the Chair, send a deputy to a meeting.  If a member cannot attend, they should send comments via email to the Secretary and Chair. A Deputy Chair from the Steering Committee can be nominated to chair the meeting in the absence of the Chair, in exceptional circumstances.

NERC staff, the Centre Contact, other centre staff and the Facility staff are ex-officio members.  Closed Sessions within Steering Committee meetings should only be attended by Steering Committee members and the Centre Contact.

All members, other than ex-officio members, will be invited to serve for a term of up to four years with a maximum extension of a further two years. The Chair will serve a maximum of four years. The Steering Committee should have a staggered membership to ensure continuity.

A Secretary of the Committee, who coordinates the preparation and distribution of papers in advance of the meeting and takes the minutes, needs to attend each meeting. They also ensure full minutes are normally distributed within four weeks of each meeting.

The membership list must comply with NERC’s policies on conflicts of interest and equality and diversity.

For both policies, please visit the NERC website:


Costs for use

The Ion Micro-Probe time is allocated in a block of eight hours (eg 9am-5pm) and charged at a rate depending on the funding body.

StatusCost per hourComments
NERC Scientific support and facilities (Direct access time)£0
  • Application from a UK scientist (excluding IMF Staff).
  • The application has to be peer reviewed via the Facilities Steering Committee.
  • Access does not need a NERC Grant and is usually less than 10% of the Facilities capacity (2-3weeks/year)
NERC Scientific support and facilities (Pilot study)£0
  • Application from a UK scientist (excluding IMF Staff) for work that requires one day (8 hours).
  • This application form is the same as the full application, but less detail is required.
  • One Day Applications are assessed by the IMF staff and provide rapid access to the facility for pilot studies and short projects. The Facilities Steering Committee discusses the applications during the Committee meeting in May.
NERC Scientific support and facilities with foreign (non UK) collaboration£75
  • UK scientist (excluding IMF staff) puts forward the application (PI of the application) but the science is partially funded by a non UK research body.
  • If a student's PhD is involved and the student's thesis is solely registered/awarded at a non UK university, then an invoice for 50% of the cost  (£75 per hour)will be sent to the PI of the application. The application has to be peer reviewed via the Facilities Steering Committee.
NERC Grant funded science£150
  • Facility time should be costed into the NERC Grant under "Other directly incurred costs".
  • The Direct Access route is not intended to supplement NERC grants.
  • The application has to be peer reviewed via the Facilities Steering Committee.
Analytical support for academic scientist£150
  • The academic must be part of a university.
  • Access is dependent on available time and subject to approval by Ion Micro-Probe Facility staff.
  • Additional charges may apply if an extended scientific report is required.
Service facility for Earth science / Geo materials 
  • Costs and access should be discussed with a member of the Ion Micro-Probe staff.
Service facility for other commercial work 
  • Costs and access should be discussed with a member of the Ion Micro-Probe staff.


 

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