POLICIES, PROCEDURES, RULES AND REGULATIONS
APPROVED BY
the Director
of the Primorsky Aquarium –
Branch of the NSCMB FEB RAS,
Order No. 161, August 31, 2023
GENERAL SERVICING POLICIES OF THE PRIMORSKY AQUARIUM SHARED EQUIPMENT FACILITIES, A.V. ZHIRMUNSKY NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CENTER OF MARINE BIOLOGY, FAR EASTERN BRANCH, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
1. General Provisions
1.1. The present Servicing Policies have been made up in accordance with the current laws of the Russian Federation, the Charter of the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, FEB RAS (“NSCMB FEB RAS”), the General Regulations of the Primorsky Aquarium – Branch of the NSCMB FEB RAS (“Primorksy Aquarium”) and the General Regulations of the Primorsky Aquarium Shared Equipment Facilities (“Primorsky Aquarium SEF”).
1.2. The Servicing Policies establish the legal conditions that define the relationships between the users and the Primorsky Aquarium SEF with respect to utilization of the SEF’s equipment and services and conducting scientific research on the premises.
1.3. The users of the scientific equipment of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF are: a) staff members of the Primorsky Aquarium and researchers of the NSCMB FEB RAS (internal users); and b) members of legal entities or natural persons (external users).
1.4. The services and facilities of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF may be used under equipment and facility use agreements or service agreements and may either be charged (for external users) or provided free of charge in compliance with partnership or cooperation agreements (for internal and external users).
2. The Servicing Policies of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF
2.1. The access to the Primorsky Aquarium SEF’s equipment is rendered according to a standardized procedure.
2.2. The persons who may work at the Primorsky Aquarium SEF are: staff members of the Primorsky Aquarium and the Primorsky Aquarium SEF, researchers of the NSCMB FEB RAS and external users.
2.3. For any external user working at the Primorsky Aquarium SEF an equipment and facility use agreement or a service agreement is required. Alternatively, a cooperation agreement is to be signed between the NSCMB FEB RAS and an external institution.
2.4. The user completes an application form on the website “Scientific and Technological Infrastructure of the Russian Federation. Core Shared Research Facilities (CSRF) and Large-Scale Research Facilities (LSRF)” (https://ckp-rf.ru/catalog/ckp/666479/ ) or an application form on the Primorsky Aquarium SEF website. The application form can be downloaded here. The user submits the completed application no later than 30 days before the beginning of the research.
2.5. The application is considered by the Head of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF within 5 working days. If the application is rejected, the reason for rejection is given according to the list of reasons stated by the present Servicing Policies.
2.6. The application may be rejected for the following reasons:
- the desired service is unavailable within the list of services provided by the Primorsky Aquarium SEF;
- the necessary materials or equipment are unavailable;
- the Primorsky Aquarium SEF is unable to provide the desired service or work place because of repair or scheduled maintenance or the like;
- the application was submitted less than 30 days before the desired starting date for research or service;
- other relevant reasons.
2.7. When the services are rendered and the work is done, the sides sign up the certificate of rendered services/ the work completion certificate.
2.8. The access to the laboratory facilities is provided in compliance with the work plan of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF and depends on the current availability of equipment, instruments and materials. The operating time for every instrument or piece of equipment is calculated according to the workload recommended by the manufacturer’s operating instructions and work schedule of the instrument/piece of equipment and considers the downtime due to maintenance and repair and the general work schedule of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF.
2.9. Regardless of the form of payment (free of charge or for a fee), the users should acknowledge the Primorsky Aquarium SEF’s contribution in publications. The Primorsky Aquarium SEF’s official name, “Primorsky Aquarium Shared Equipment Facility of the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS)”, should be mentioned in the Acknowledgments section of a publication.
2.10. The rights to the intellectual property created by use of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF’s services, equipment and facilities, and the issues of including the names of the SEF’s staff members in the list of the authors of a certain scientific paper or omitting them from this list are stipulated in the agreement signed between the Primorsky Aquarium SEF and the external institution or mentioned in the user’s application.
2.11. At the end of a calendar year, every user provides the information on the results of their work at/with the Primorsky Aquarium SEF to be mentioned in the annual report of the SEF for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The user should provide this information via the email of the Records Management Department (primocean@primocean.ru). The information should include:
- full title of the user’s institution;
- full name of the user, i.e. the representative of the institution assigned to work at the Primorsky Aquarium SEF;
- full title of the research done;
- list of scientific works, in which the results of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF-based research were cited (scientific papers, presentations and other publications, in a selected bibliographic style).
3. Access to Scientific Equipment and Work with Live Animals
3.1. The schedule and duration of the work conducted at the Primorsky Aquarium SEF is allocated according to the application submitted. The specific time and dates are limited by the 8-hour working day, Monday–Friday working week, weekends and official public holidays. Work schedule for the specific equipment is adjusted in case of urgency.
3.2. The access into the laboratories and to the laboratory equipment is provided only after a training conducted by the assigned Primorsky Aquarium SEF staff members.
3.3. The access into the laboratories and to the laboratory equipment suggests that:
- the user acknowledges their compliance with the rules regulating work with the SEF equipment and requirements from the responsible SEF staff members, by putting their signature in the SEF log book;
- the user receives briefing on lab equipment use, fire protection and occupational health and safety and puts their signature in the corresponding log books;
- in order to obtain their personal access to the specific equipment, the user must be trained to work with this equipment and prove their proficiency at an interview with a designated staff member, who decides if the access is granted or not granted.
3.4. All users should use the facilities of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF with care. In case of any damage to the laboratories, equipment or instruments, the damage should be fully reimbursed by a natural person or a legal entity, according to the terms of an agreement.
3.5. All users should work in compliance with all rules and regulations of the NSCMB FEB RAS and current federal laws, including occupational health and safety and fire protection standards, sanitary regulations, nature conservation legislation and rules for the maintenance of public order.
4. Term and Termination
The present Servicing Policies become effective on the date they are signed by the Director of the Primorsky Aquarium and the Director of the NSCMB FEB RAS and remain in force until terminated.