Infrastructure and User Services
Sharing can stimulate and accelerate the development of new ideas and innovative technologies in a sustainable manner. Therefore, WUR developed the concept of Shared Research Facilities. The full capacity of research equipment and facilities is used, by researchers within and outside WUR and through collaborative projects. Also, it enables researchers to use state-of-the-art technologies without having to purchase the instrument themselves.
Research equipment is housed at the research groups or organisations who have the expertise to use and maintain the equipment. This distributed set-up of Sharing Research Facilities enables users to get in direct contact with expertise and new technological possibilities related to the research instruments and facilities. In this way, the latest research facilities are directly accessible.
SRF operates a database, WUR-Research Equipment Platform (WURREP), which includes all research equipment that is open for sharing, https://researchequipment.wur.nl/search-for-devices. The WURREP includes advanced research equipment from WUR, but also from external organisations.
Examples/description of the type of research
Via the research equipment database (WURREP), WUR-SRF offers researchers from universities, research institutes and companies, including start-ups, the opportunity to find advanced research equipment with the relevant expert and information on how to use it, generally on a pay-per-use basis.
The equipment in the database is divided into the following categories:
- AI, Vision & Robotics
- Biobased technology
- Biochemistry and Physiology
- Food processing technology
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology
- Microscopy and Imaging
- Organic and Analytical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy and Chromatography
- General lab equipment and Miscellaneous
How to access the infrastructure ?
Physical access: depending on the device, you can set up and execute experiments as a researcher or you can hire an operator to execute the experiment for you. Some of the equipment is too advanced to be executed by the researcher itself, other devices can be used after a short training or introduction by the device manager to the researcher.
Virtual access: our High performance Computing cluster can be accessed virtually.
If you require access to the equipment, please contact the device manager. Contact information for the device manager is available in the Contact(s) section of WURREP.
