- How do I make first contact with the Centre?
- Can I come to the Centre to discuss a project proposal with expert staff?
- How do I submit a formal project proposal?
- What does the Core Management Committee do?
- How quickly will I hear about the outcome of my application?
- What happens next?
- What about ethics approvals?
- What about funding?
- Will there be a formal agreement between the Centre and me?
- How do I book in my research subjects?
- Are there any tax implications for volunteers paid expenses?
- What happens as the project proceeds?
- What happens at the end of the project?
- How do I cite use of ECDF?
- How do I acknowledge use of the Brain Research Imaging Centre?
1. How do I make first contact with the Centre?
If you wish to discuss a possible project using the Centre's resources please first contact the Scientific Business Manager, Duncan Martin, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU. He will explain the steps involved in undertaking a research project using MR imaging and put you in touch with the Scientific contact that has special expertise and will be able to discuss your project.
2. Can I come to the Centre to discuss a project proposal with expert staff?
We encourage potential investigators to discuss their project proposal with appropriate members of staff as early as possible. This may be done by telephone, email, or by visiting the Centre in person (especially if you have not been to the Centre before it will be useful for you to look around).
It is essential that you discuss your proposal before you begin to prepare grant and ethics applications, because there are key pieces of information that need to be included in the ethics application and you will require information on scan sequences, costs, image processing, project management and evidence of good practice for any grant application.
3. How do I submit a formal project proposal?
Once you have discussed the scanning protocols with the Scientific Contact and have been through preliminary discussions with the Scientific Business Manager, you need to complete and submit the application forms to BRIC for formal discussion by the Core Management Committee. The Administration Staff or Scientific Business Manager will assist with completion of the form, should any point be unclear.
4. What does the Core Management Committee do?
The Core Management Committee, considers the design and practicality of project proposals, and can often suggest ways in which these may be improved. Members are thoroughly experienced in research MRI methodology and techniques, and are happy to advise new investigators. In some cases the Principal Investigator may be asked to attend the meeting to present the project. This typically should take no more than ten minutes followed by some questions and discussion with the Committee. The Committee is quite informal, and it is hoped that investigators will find the experience informative.
5. How quickly will I hear about the outcome of my application?
Once the study has been passed by the Core Management Team at BRIC it will be presented to the Operational Management Committee at the WTCRF. A final decision, including confirmation of costs, will then be notified to applicants. A decision may be deferred if the Committee wishes some aspects to be discussed at greater length, or pending analysis of pilot scans, before finally approving the study.
Once approval has been given by the Core Management Committee and WTCRF, a Service Level Agreement will be sent. It is the responsibility of the investigator to notify the Centre of any changes in the project plan. Scanning can only commence once funding, all relevant ethical approvals are in place, the Service Level Agreement has been signed and copies received within the Centre.
7. What about ethics approvals?
It is very important that investigators discuss the ethics application with the Scientific Business Manager at an early stage to obtain information on the correct form of words for some sections of the ethics form. This includes study subject exclusions to MRI, risks, reporting procedures and data archiving and retention. Projects can commence only after the Centre has agreed to undertake the project, all relevant ethical and R+D office permissions have been granted and copies received in the Centre.
The Centre relies on charging for project scanning to recoup its large expenses. MRI is very expensive, both in terms of set-up costs and on-going maintenance (for example, scanner maintenance costs approximately ?100,000 per annum). There is a periodical review regarding the scale of charges, the aim is to keep charges at a level that is affordable to grant-giving bodies while meeting the Centre's essential need to underpin the core facility.
Please note that ALL special study subject needs (e.g. extra time for getting into the scanner due to disability), requirements regarding scanning times (e.g. office hours/evenings), need for pilot work, etc MUST be identified during the planning phase. Otherwise there may be unexpected cost implications.?
9. Will there be a formal agreement between the Centre and me?
Yes, you will be asked to sign a Service Level Agreement which will be sent to you, this must be signed and returned to the Centre before any scanning can commence.
10. How do I book in my research subjects?
Once a Service Level Agreement has been signed, the Principal Investigator can begin to make scanner bookings by contacting the Superintendent Radiographer, Elaine Sandeman, by email esandema@staffmail.ed.ac.uk or on tel. 0131 537 2660. You will be told what to do when you get to this stage.
11. Are there any tax implications for volunteers paid expenses?
Few if any projects are likely to attract the interest of the Inland Revenue, but researchers and volunteers being paid expenses will wish to be aware of guidance from the Inland Revenue.
12. What happens as the project proceeds?
The Scientific Business Manager is the first point of contact for any problems experienced by the Principal Investigator at any point during the project. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to recruit the anticipated number of cases within the specified timelines, and to inform the Scientific Business Manager promptly of any difficulties or changes in recruitment or changes to the study design that will affect the scanning. The Centre will aim to perform imaging as flexibly as possible and to accommodate any particular needs of the study subjects. However it is important that these are identified during the project planning stage.
RADIOLOGICAL REPORTS OF SCANS
A radiological report is issued for ALL research scans. For subjects participating in research studies, the additional information may inform the clinical management decisions, and incidental findings occur in between 3 and 6% of normal healthy volunteers, with the highest incidence in older subjects.
The radiological report documents: a) that the scan took place, b) the type of scanning used, and c) any diagnostic information that was obtained.
For subjects taking part in a research study, the report is sent to the Principal Investigator who can forward this to their GP with any other results as appropriate. For normal healthy subjects being scanned in a specific research project, the radiological report is sent to the Principal Investigator of the study (if a clinician), or a nominated clinically-trained co-investigator deputy if the principal investigator is not a clinician. For normal healthy volunteers being scanned as part of the development of new sequences and NOT in any specific research project, the radiological report is sent to the GP.
We are NOT able to scan any volunteers for research who do not have either a clinically responsible Principal Investigator (or deputy) or a GP.
It is part of the duty of care of the Brain Research Imaging Centre that a radiological report is provided for ALL research scans.
13. What happens at the end of the project?
All research involving use of the Centre's scanner is conducted on a collaborative basis. It is essential that the Centre is acknowledged as the source of scanning. It is particularly important that the contribution of any staff to the development of new sequences or image analysis is properly acknowledged in publications, in some cases as an author.
The Scientific Business Manager keeps records of all publications arising from the use of the Centre and will appreciate receiving a copy.
The Scientific Business Manager will issue a final invoice, including the cost of any extraordinary wind-up costs, at the end of the study.
If you wish to increase your sample size beyond that originally planned, please discuss this as early as possible with the Scientific Business Manager.
14. How do I cite use of ECDF?
This is to ask you to remember to cite use of ECDF in any publications to do with research which used the ECDF (either cluster or SAN). Evidence of usage of the system will be needed in order to justify the cost of replacing it, in the fullness of time, and citations are useful evidence.
Here is a form of words you can use:
"This work has made use of the resources provided by the Edinburgh Compute and Data Facility (ECDF). (http://www.ecdf.ed.ac.uk/). The ECDF is partially supported by the eDIKT initiative. (http://www.edikt.org)."
We have placed this example citation on the ECDF website for future reference at http://www.ecdf.ed.ac.uk/
15. How do I acknowledge use of the Brain Research Imaging Centre?
Abstracts:
"The imaging (enter CRF Study number) was carried out at the Brain Research Imaging Centre (www.bric.ed.ac.uk), Division of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, a core area of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and part of the SINAPSE collaboration (www.sinapse.ac.uk)"
Papers:
"The imaging (enter CRF study number) was carried out at the Brain Research Imaging Centre (www.bric.ed.ac.uk), Division of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, a core area of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and part of the SINAPSE (Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence) collaboration (www.sinapse.ac.uk) funded by the Scottish Funding Council and the Chief Scientist Office."
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The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.