How long will microscopy take?

A timeline is negotiated according to the requirements of the job, availability of specialised staff and readiness of samples. For commercial clients, simple testing services can usually be scheduled within two weeks and urgent jobs can usually be accommodated. Some instruments have extended lead times due to their uniqueness within Australia and the nature of the experiments performed on them.

Time guide per sample for different techniques*

Transmission electron microscopy: 3–20 hours
Scanning electron microscopy: 0.5–4 hours
X-ray diffraction: 1–24 hours
Confocal or atomic force microscopy: 3–20 hours
X-ray microtomography: 1–15 hours
Atom probe tomography: 6–12 hours

*These are conservative estimates

how much will it cost?

Microscopy Australia has an open access policy. This means Australian researchers can access any of our facilities, regardless of the institution they are based at.

Fees for instruments that are funded by the federal government under NCRIS are subsidised for all Australian publicly funded researchers: typically in the range of $40–60/hr. Fees for all other instruments are at the discretion of the facility director. To find exact rates please refer to your local facility’s website. Contact details can be found in our facility directory. To find the relevant technique and facility, we invite researchers to use TechFi®: our online technique finder.

INSTRUMENT	USER	FEE RANGE
NCRIS supported Instrument	External from industry	Commercial rates as determined by the Facility Director – contact jenny.whiting@micro.org.au for more info
	Internal ACADEMIC	A subsidized rate that is affordable with typical Australian research grants
	external ACADEMIC*	$40-60/per beam-hour or the rate for internal users, if that is higher
	INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC	At discretion of the facility director
OTHER INSTRUMENT	External from industry	Commercial rates as determined by the Facility Director – contact jenny.whiting@micro.org.au for more info
	Internal ACADEMIC	At discretion of the facility director
	external ACADEMIC*	A rate that is affordable with typical Australian research grants
	INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC	At discretion of the facility director
This pricing guide excludes arrangements with institutions under MOU or other mechanisms of collaboration or agreements that require different fee structure (e.g. ARC or LIEF collaborations) * e.g. University; publicly funded; medical research organisation; CRC; etc.

what grants and subsidies are available?

Academics and publicly funded researchers

Please see our ‘Grant Advice’ page for advice on applying for ARC and NHMRC grants

Grant Advice

Commercial clients

Please see our industry subsidies page for details

Industry Subsidies

Academic Industry

Pricing