Research and especially the financing of the quite expensive scanning time at the ELH can only be enabled due to the financial contributions of different institutions. In return, we are obligated to document the usage of the scanning time as accurately and precisely as possible. This means, a documentation of all times when the scanner is used including an assignment to the project it is used for, as well as a documentation of the times when the scanner is blocked for other reasons is necessary. In addition, it has to be assured, that all measurements are consistent with the general ethical approval and, where required, the project specific amendments to this approval. Therefore, every application of the scanner systems itself or preventing others to use the scanner has to be documented and assigned to the dedicated project number. Booking of scanning time is only possible if a suitable project number for the planned measurements exists.
In general, you have to apply for a project number by giving a project proposal and filling out the needed documents. If you just need some scanning time to test something out, you can start a pilot, giving you at most 6 hours of scanning time.
If you have any questions concerning the Project Proposal Process that could not be answered by reading this document, please contact us via email to info@elh-institute.de.
Plan your project carefully and check, if you first need to start a pilot or if you directly want to propose a project.
All projects have to be discussed in advance with an ELH-PI and an ELH physicist. They make sure that the project meets the requirements to be started (in case of a pilot) or to be presented (in case of a full project). It should be sufficiently thought-out; concrete in terms of design, materials, etc. and checked on ethical conditions. Be aware that for some studies a study specific approval by the local ethics committee is necessary.
The booking of measurement time is only possible with a valid project number. The process of getting a project number is described in the following.
When planning a project, questions often arise concerning the feasibility of the approach, the amount of measurement time needed on the 7T scanner, etc. In order to clarify some of these questions before starting an official project, a pilot ("Kleinstprojekt") can be used. The pilot project allows up to 6 hours of measurement time on the 7T scanner to perform a feasibility test.
Contact your responsible PI and the responsible ELH physicist, start the application process and upload the completed and signed form via the the provided project page link, then you will get your pilot number.
You are allowed to have at most 3 of these at the same time in different topics, each giving you at most 6 hours of scanning time. If you are going to extend these first tests, you have to file a project proposal. A pilot number is valid for one year.
Projects requiring 7T measurement time or in any case access to the system or magnet room and thereby preventing the scanner from being used by other researchers have to be proposed in the Project Proposal Meetings (PPMs). PPMs in general take place once a month on Wednesdays at 10:00 am (usually on the first Wednesday of the month). All projects are to be discussed for final feedback before access to the 7T MRI is granted.
Contact your responsible PI and the responsible ELH physicist and start the application process. To get a project proposal date the green part of the project proposal sheet has to be filled out completely. Upload a scan of this sheet as well as your presentation slides via the provided project page link. Please use the template for ELH project presentations. You will get proposals for presentation dates on your individualized project status page. The application process should be finished at least one week in advance of the presentation date.
After presentation to general ELH attendees, the directorate decides if your presented project is approved and specifies the amount of measurement time that will be dedicated to the project.
In general, it is no problem to extend the initially requested scanning time for a project. Please contact your PI as well as responsible ELH physicist and file your extension request.
Note that any change to the declarations made in the project proposal sheet have to be reported to everyone who signed the sheet and have to be confirmed by the managing director before further scanning time can be booked.
Scanning is only possible after becoming an ELH-certified MR Operator (annual renewal), signing the affirmation of safety regulations at ELH, having a project number dedicated to the project you are scanning for and having enough remaining measurement time for this project number. Note, that project numbers will expire after two years of non-usage. On details of the safety policy read through this document.
Scanning time can be booked up to three months in advance of the target date. Only reserve the time you truly need, and avoid blocking slots for upcoming weeks unless you are certain they will be used. If a cancellation becomes necessary, please do so promptly to maximize the availability of the 7T MRI for others.
The booking is valid after you got a confirmation email. Be aware that the free scanning time slots have to be managed efficiently and not all information necessary to manage the bookings (e.g. special regulations due to specific needs of particular projects) is provided in the calendar. Thus, you will not always get your preferred time slot, but could also get a suggestion for a different one.
Be aware that the researcher himself is responsible for preparing and organizing the experiment (discuss it with the physicist in charge, take care that a physician is on-site if necessary, that the screening interviews of the volunteers are conducted, obtain the participants signature on the Informed Consent Declaration as well as on the safety questionnaire on exclusion criteria.)
As scanning time is very tight, it has to be used as efficient as possible. Therefore, the following rules have been established:
The scanning time granted for a project is calculated generously, so short downtimes of the scanner are already taken into account. Thus, only in very special cases booked measurement time that could not be used appropriately will not be calculated for the project.
Make sure that you know and always comply with the safety regulations of the ELH.
Document the actual starting and end time of your use / blocking of the scanner system (incl. setup, post processing, returning everything in its original state) as well as your project number in the red book placed in the operating room. Put everything you used on its place again. MR equipment is very expensive and defective components also affect other researchers. Handle all equipment with great care and report defects ASAP to the ELH physicists.
Only ELH Certified MR Operators are allowed to independently conduct experiments with phantoms alone. In case of imaging humans a second person who may be called immediately in an emergency situation (must be ELH Certified MR Operator) must be informed and present in the ELH building. In case of imaging volunteers with known diseases or pathologies, or imaging healthy volunteers with administration of contrast agent or other medication, a physician must remain within calling distance in the ELH building for the duration of the measurement.
Some studies include spontaneous investigations of patients. If possible, such studies should be enabled even if this needs a reorganization of the scan schedule. But the researcher in charge of the pre-booked scan slot is allowed to deny the interruption. The possibility of spontaneous investigations of patients during a project has to be declared in the project proposal sheet.
A general ethical approval exists covering 7T investigations at the ELH (nr. 16 7214 BO). The respective volunteer screening form (blue form for healthy subjects or red form for subjects with pathologies and/or application of contrast agents) has to be filled completely before the volunteer is allowed to enter the safety zone. Before starting a study it has to be checked carefully if the methodology of the project is covered by this general approval or if a study specific amendment is necessary and has to be approved by the ethical committee and insurance company first.
If you are planning to recruit test persons with an official notice, this notice has to be sent to the administrative director and panda@elh-institute.de in advance, especially if it is part of a study not covered by the general approval. Such notice also has to be approved by the ethical committee in advance. If applicable, please also refer to the guideline for payment of expense allowances for volunteers.
When handling the acquired image and volunteer data, please also keep in mind the SOP for data management and the associated data privacy regulations/implications that come with it.
If there are any potential pathologies in the acquired images, discuss them first with the responsible ELH-PI and responsible ELH physicist to determine the next steps to be taken (e.g., transfer of the scans to the hospital, who and how the subject should be informed).
All publications including measurements on the new 7T system need to add the following acknowledgement (this DFG project number acknowledges funding of the 7T system):
Every abstract or publication resulting from your project has to be sent via email to the responsible ELH-PI before submitting it for publication and to panda@elh-institute.de after publication.
After finishing your study, the results shall be presented in one of the regular scientific meetings at the ELH. The ELH-PI responsible for your project will schedule a date with you.
Please find all information documents ready for download here:
Usage Regulations (German Version)
SOP Data Management (German Version)
Guideline for Payment of Expense Allowances for Volunteers
Volunteer screening form (blue, for healthy volunteers)
Volunteer screening form (red, patients with pathologies, application of contrast agents)