Frequently Asked Questions

As internal users, in case you have a transponder that works for BMC, please submit the official transponder form to the administration to get access to the required rooms/buildings.

External users may currently only enter via the main 'visitor doors' at BMC. These are
a) the doors at the 'Warenanlieferung'/'Pforte' in building N.C
b) the doors near the library in building N (open during the semester and exam periods) 

We also have a loan transponder - this can give you access to the buildings and core facility rooms outside working hours. Please notify us in advance, and we will organize the pick-up.

Please log on to our booking system PPMS, and then use the 'Report an Incident' option displayed on the home tab or under the schedule for a specific instrument. 

for autonomous use: The time for startup and shutdown of the instruments does not need to be paid for, so you also do not need to book the respective time. This is to ensure fairness of the cost distribution.
What you DO need to pay and book for is the cleaning time and data transfer/export time! You have to understand that you are using consumables during cleaning, and also blocking the instrument for other users during all that time.
Please note that you can cancel unused time in the booking system, and will be charged only the cancellation fee instead of the full fee for that remaining time. In case someone else books the slot, your cancellation fee is waived.
It will be sporadically checked if the booked time and the log-in time at the instrument matches. 

for services: The time for (if necessary) startup, shutdown, cleaning etc. DOES need to be paid for as it requires staff working hours. However, we are usually much faster in setting everything up than a user.
If you are late, we waive fees for waiting time in cases of hardship. Please note that you should cancel services in advance instead of just not showing up, and will then be charged only the cancellation fee instead of the full fee. 

Only the BD FACSAria Fusion No2 (Biosafety Cabinet) and the BD FACSCanto are intended for S2/BioII use. We have to take specific measures in order to allow you to bring your samples into the facility.

You can request registration of your material in the respective form on the PPMS booking system (order service: 'Registration of Material..'). We will then initiate the required bureacracy, and also need to verify that the organisms you want introduce can be eliminated from our system with the available cleaning methods. If we can allow the organism to be introduced, then it is not necessary to fill in the request for each sort, but only once for each cell type, treatment and origin of cell/organism. 

Sorting of S2/BSL2 material is only offered as a service by the Core Facility staff, and after registration of the material as described above. Autonomous sorting of S2/BLS2 material by new users is not possible. 

For our usage fees, please consult the Terms of Use. The current usage fees are summarized in Our Services.

The Core Facilitiy Flow Cytometry sends out invoices in May/June (for fees from November until April) and in November (for fees from May until October). Invoices come group-wise. The registered PPMS 'group administrator' also has the possibility to download all details of booked sessions/services and associated costs as spread sheet. Contact Lisa Richter to assign/change a group administrator.  

As a default, we would use the invoicing address provided in the PPMS system (when registering the group). If alternative invoicing addresses or PO numbers are needed, please contact Lisa Richter.

The payment of your invoice with internal credits must be initiated BEFORE our invoice has been sent out. The distribution of credits within your department has to be clarified internally, and must then be reported to the Core Facilities in a form provided by the BMC Managing Director. This is usually happening in early summer. 

These credits are valid from January 1^st of the issuing year, until the June 30^th of the following year (a total of 18 months). Any remaining credits will expire thereafter. 

The Core Facilitiy Flow Cytometry sends out invoices twice a year: as soon as we have received feedback about credits in summer (for fees from November until April), and again in November (for fees from May until October).