Access Procedure For External or NON-UC System Users
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a $250 fee per new user to set up a Nano3 account. Email Nano3_Access if you experience problems during the access process.
External academic users (such as those from national labs or academic institutions) are not subject to the terms described below.
Attention Industry Users/Customers: We aim to foster a collaborative and transparent partnership that benefits both parties and minimizes administrative burdens. To ensure a mutually beneficial partnership and a smooth collaboration, we have established the following policies for providing services to you or granting access to Nano3:
Requirement for Getting Access to Nano3 Facility or for Complex Services: Before we can grant access to the Nano3 facility or provide services involving hard-to-estimate process development, we require a minimum PO of $5,000.
Payment Terms for Simple Services: For simple services that do not require process development and can be easily estimated, the minimum $5,000 PO requirement does not apply. Instead, we will provide a quote and request full payment before work begins.
Complimentary Consultation Services: We offer prospective customers up to 1 hour, or 2 sessions, of free consultation to answer questions regarding their projects or process feasibilities before entering into a service agreement with Nano3. This allows us to assess the feasibility of your project and provide guidance on how to move forward.
Additionally, once you have a service agreement with Nano3, you may use another up to 1 hour, or 2 sessions, of free consultation to receive answers to further complicated questions and/or additional guidance from Nano3 staff.
Additional Consultation Services: For any additional meetings or consultations beyond the complimentary sessions, we will charge based on our General Staff Service rates, with a minimum increment of half an hour. For instance, if a meeting took 45 minutes, you would be charged for 1 hour.
We do not charge for simple follow-ups or simple questions that do not require extensive staff time to provide answers or feedback.
Use the following table to determine which steps are needed to complete the Nano3 access procedure. Users wanting both independent and staff-assisted services should complete steps in the Independent Access column.
| User Access Level | ||
| Your Company | Independent Access | Staff-assisted Services Only |
| Has an unexpired service agreement with Nano3 | Steps 1, 4, 5, 6. | Steps 1, 4, 6. |
| Is New to Nano3 | Steps 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. | Steps 2, 4, 6. |
- If your company/university has already established a service agreement with Nano3, you can be added to the existing service agreement by signing the New User Form. Please note that your supervisor must also sign the New User Form. Skip steps 2 and 3, go to Step 4. You will upload this document when you create your FOM account (Step 4).
- If your company/university is new to Nano3, complete the appropriate option below:
Download and complete the Export Control questionnaire, as required by the UCSD Export Control Office. Select Yes or No for each question, then email the completed questionnaire to Nano3-newuser. If you are unsure how to answer a question, contact us for help before submitting the form.
- If all your answers are No: Continue with the remaining steps below.
- If any answer is Yes: Pause the access process and wait for Nano3 staff to contact you before completing the remaining steps. The UCSD Export Control Office may request additional information or review your proposed work.
- Review the UCSD Terms and Conditions
- Download the fillable Scope of Services document (Word file):
- Enter the required information in the fillable areas in the Client section.
- For ‘Scope of Services’, if you’re requesting independent access to Nano3 facilities, enter “request for independent acces to Nano3 facilities.” Otherwise, enter your description of the service you’re requesting.
- For ‘Estimated Cost’:
- if you’re requesting independent access to Nano3 facilities, enter $5000.
- if you’re only requesting a one-time service and want a quote, leave it blank for now.
- if you’ll likely request services for more than one time in a two-year period, enter $5000.
- Email the two forms to Nano3 Staff with a subject title of your institution/company name, and a brief description of your processing goals or service request. If you need a quote for the one-time service you’re requesting, please make sure to mention that in your email.
- Nano3 staff may schedule a phone or video call with you to better understand your service request, provide you a quote (if you requested it), and finalize the wording for the Scope of Services section.
- Once the Scope of Services document is finalized, have it signed by an authorized representative of your company and email the signed copy to Nano3-newuser.
- Obtain a digital copy of the company (or your institution) insurance certificate. See Section 34.1.9 of the Terms and Conditions for details. You will upload this document when you create your FOM account (Step 4).
- Register your FOM user account here.
- Click the link to log in with FOM username and password.
- Click “I am a new user”.
- Select “External User” type.
- Enter the required information.
- You will receive an email from FOM with a link to activate your account. Activate your account.
- Log into your account and select the user type (External For-profit User or External Non-profit User), access level (independent and/or staff assisted service), your company’s/university’s relationship with Nano3 (new to Nano3 or has an unexpired agreement with Nano3), and upload the relevant documents.
- Make sure to complete steps above (where applicable) before attempting to use any additional functionality in FOM. Facility staff will review the submitted documents and confirm your account in FOM. Only then will you receive another email indicating that your FOM account has been confirmed.
- Once you receive notification that your FOM account has been confirmed, apply for the Nano3 safety orientation, only if you need independent access to Nano3 facility (users who only need services do not need to complete this step) :
- Log in to your FOM user account.
- If you need access to the Cleanroom click on “Full Facility Orientation” (in the “Available Resources” list).
- If you only need access to equipment in the Analytical Labs (non-Cleanroom), click on “Analytical Labs Orientation” (in the “Available Resources” list).
- You will be prompted to pass an exam based on the Nano3 Policies and Procedures. When you pass the exam, a request to attend the orientation will be sent to Nano3 staff.
- Once Nano3 staff receives your orientation request, your paperwork will be processed, and you will receive an email stating that you are on the orientation wait list (typically within 2 business days).
- Facility orientations take place normally once every week, and you will be contacted by a Nano3 staff member regarding the orientation scheduling. Please allow for up to 2 hours for a Nano3 Full Facility Orientation, or up to 1 hour for an Analytical Labs Orientation.
- After you have completed all of the above access requirements, you will receive an email within 1-2 business days with instructions on how to obtain the necessary facility access card ($25 per card, applies only to users who need access to facility), and you will be able to request for training on specific equipment or start using staff-assisted services.
For instructions to sign up for equipment training in your FOM account, click here.
