Covid-19 Rapid Call for Access to the CLF’s Octopus Facility

Covid-19 Rapid Call for Access to the CLF’s Octopus Facility

The UK’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) is inviting rapid access proposals to its Octopus imaging facility for research relevant to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and Covid-19.

Octopus is an advanced imaging facility containing a mixture of in house-built and commercial systems with a variety of multicolour light sources giving the flexibility to combine multiple beams, multiple colours and timing capabilities.​ It is located in the Research Complex at Harwell at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire.

Successful applicants will have non-physical access to Octopus, with physical microscopy conducted by expert CLF staff and samples being sent to the facility. Video link or telephone will be used to enable communication with users before and during experiments, and remote access to the microscopy instruments will be available. Live virus work cannot be carried out at the facility and samples sent to site must be tested and certified as non-infective in advance.

There will be no charges for access to the facility for successful applicants. Facility capacity is limited by the availability of staff and equipment, and successful proposals will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Proposals should be submitted using the online form. Anyone intending to submit a proposal is advised to first contact the Octopus group leader, Marisa Martin-Fernandez.

The call is open to all researchers in academia or industry worldwide, and will be open until 1 May 2020, with the possibility of extension depending on circumstances at that time.

​More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.