• Core equipment in the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS) is solely available to registered and authorized end-users only.
• All end-user applications will be screened, vetted, and endorsed by the Principal Investigator (PI) prior to granting access to Core Labs.
• End-users and PIs are required to abide by the regulations set out in this General Guidelines for SBS Core Equipment Usage.  Those who violate the regulations will be banned from accessing the facilities and will have to appeal to the Core Lab Management Committee for the ban to be lifted.
• SBS Core Lab reserves the right to amend the “General Guidelines for SBS Core Equipment Usage” when deemed necessary.  End-users and PIs should refer to the SBS Core Booking System under the Guidelines tab for the latest revision.

A. Account Registration

• Refer to “Summary of Charging Scheme on SBS User Category Guide” for User Categorization.
• New SBS end-users (CAT I and CAT IIA) shall apply for an online booking account through the SBS Core Booking System (https://corelab.sbs.cuhk.edu.hk/public).
• Access to facilities for non-SBS users (CAT III) may be considered.  PI of the project who wishes to access Core facilities must submit a written request to the SBS Core Administrator at sbscore@cuhk.edu.hk to obtain a Proposal of Use form.
• Duration of the core access of the following User Categories is defined as follows:
  a.    Within the duration of the Employment Contract and/or Graduation Date
  • CAT I – SBS Full-time staff employment and programme studies  
  • CAT IIA – SBS PI joint employment with other units; Part-time SBS/SBS PI-funded employment; CUHK-Innocentre Full-time Staff employment affiliated with SBS PI

         b.    From the Date of Registration to the LAST day of June.

• • CAT IIB – One quota per academic year for SBS appointed with no renumeration; SBS associate member; member of SBS-MOU collaborative programme
  • CAT III – No quota basis for SBS appointed with no renumeration; SBS associate member; CUHK member
  • CAT IV – UGC-funded academic institution member

         c.    The User Category is subject to change and if clarification is required, please consult our Core Lab Manger.

• A valid staff/student card from CUHK and UGC-funded Academic Institution card must be submitted upon registration.  Failure to submit the staff / student card will NOT be entertained.
• A valid CUHK or UGC-funded Academic Institution email can be accepted. Failure to submit the staff / student card will NOT be entertained.
• After registration, the user category of end-user will be classified based on the “SBS User Category Guide” and they will be notified by email to undertake the following user assignments:
  • Undertake a compulsory Orientation video to understand the overview of the “General guidelines on Core Equipment usage” and the procedures for online booking. The orientation video will be notified by system email.
  • Complete the Online Quiz on the general guidelines and matters related to SBS Core Booking System.
  • Submit account endorsement to PI for core access and booking permission.
  • Activation of Core booking account.
    
    

B. Equipment training

• Equipment training will be provided to end-users listed in the “Summary of Charging Scheme on SBS User Category Guide”.
• Training on core equipment will be conducted by the Technical Support staff.
• Prior to the training on core equipment, end-users should email all the respective Technical Support staff to discuss their project overview and to schedule FIRST TIME TRAINING requests.  Refer to the contact information at SBS Core website - https://core.sbs.cuhk.edu.hk/en.
• End-users are strongly advised to email the Technical Support staff requesting additional sessions until online booking (CAT I User Only) of the trained core equipment is granted.
• End-users should send a re-confirmation email after walk-in and/or verbal request on any core equipment training/retraining/booking to the Technical Support staff.
• The training request for Core equipment will generally be arranged within 5 working days and the date of training is subject to the following criteria:
  • The availability of the Technical Support staff
  • The availability of the core equipment
  • Complete the submission of the Biosafety Questionnaire, MACHFORM (if any), and/or experimental details
  • If no email confirmation is received after 3 working days of your training request, please contact the Technical Support staff IN PERSON to confirm your training schedule.
• Technical Support staff will make the FIRST booking on behalf of the end-users.
• End-users will undertake local induction training on the proper use of safety issues and security procedures of the core equipment.
• If the end-users can demonstrate his/her capability to operate the equipment independently and to perform its operation in a safe and proper manner, the Technical Support staff will release the booking permission of the core equipment and make it available for their own online booking.
• End-users are not allowed to operate the core equipment for which they have not received any training from the Technical Support staff.
• Training on the use of the sophisticated core equipment will not be provided if end-users' registration date is within 30 days from the Expiry date.
  
  

C. Equipment Booking

• Refer to the “Summary of Charging Scheme on SBS User Category Guide” for equipment charges.
• Only FULL-time end-users (CAT I) have full access to the SBS Core Booking System, subject to the approval of SBS PI concerned.
• Online booking is available 7 days in advance on a first-come-first-served basis.
• Bookings on the use of Core equipment will be made through (1) SBS PI, (2) matching staff or registered end-users of the SBS PI with group booking eligibility, and/or (3) the Technical Support staff when necessary.  
• The Name of the End-users must MATCH the name in the booking timeslot, unless justified to the Technical Support staff.
• End-users shall always have good time management by making advance bookings for more than the estimated time.  Additional booking for the used session(s) without prior booking must be made on the SBS Booking System either (i) before the originally booked end-time; or (ii) fill in logsheet of the actual time used and email the information to the Technical Support staff if the online booking of the past timeslot is not available within the same day.
• Daily and Weekly Equipment quota for Core equipment will be imposed.  To request an extra quota, end-users must submit a WRITTEN request to all the Technical Support staff with strong justification.
• Under special circumstances in which sharing of timeslot(s) is required by different end-users of the same research group, prior approval must be obtained from the Technical Support staff.  All end-users who operate the core equipment must be well-trained with equipment access, and it is applicable to CAT I status only.
• When equipment booking is made, the cost of the equipment will be automatically charged to the PI’s booking account.
• Cancellation or amendment of the booking must be made 5 hours before the Booking start time.  If end-users are unable to use or want to cancel the booked timeslots for whatever reason, end-users are strongly advised to email the cancellation request to the Technical Support staff before the Booking start time commences with strong justification.
• For canceling the overbooked session(s), end-users are advised to inform the Technical Support staff before the end-time of the booked timeslot(s) and/or email the request within the same day. Using the booked timeslot partially is also charged as a whole session.
• The Time set for re-training day(s) will be imposed if end-user doesn’t make any bookings after the specified day of the core equipment since their last booking, the equipment will become unavailable for online booking and end-users must contact the Technical Support staff to undergo an operation re-assessment.
• IMMEDIATELY report any power failure/fire/chemical spillage/personal accident to the University Security Office at ext. 37999 if operating core equipment during the after-hour period. LEAVE THE ROOM/BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.
• Registered after-hour end-user should notify the occurrence of the safety events to the following SBS personnel immediately or on the next working day:
  
  • SBS Core Administrator by email: sbscore@cuhk.edu.hk or by telephone at ext. 34286.
  • SBS Safety Coordinators (i) Mr. LAU Chi Wai, by email: chiwailau@cuhk.edu.hkor by telephone at ext. 36883; (ii) Mr. Eric WONG, by email: wongtp@cuhk.edu.hk or by telephone at ext. 31366. 
    
    

D. Safety policies and work practices

• PI and end-users must comply with applicable safety regulations, University policy and accepted safe work practices.
• Referring to the, “SBS Core Bio-Safety SOPs”, PI and end-users must follow the safe operating procedure and read thoroughly the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) guidance applicable to work performed in SBS if it involves biohazard materials.
• End-users must declare the sources of their biological samples prior to the use of core equipment.  They must submit the “Biosafety Questionnaire” (https://corelab.sbs.cuhk.edu.hk/public) under News announcement with details of the work, which has to be filled in by either the PI and/or the End-users to the relevant Core Lab for sample evaluation.  
• Failure to report the use of any biohazard materials will pose a threat to the health of other people. The end-user may result in the suspension of core access and booking permission.
• Eating or drinking is strictly prohibited in Core Labs.  
• Lab gowns must be worn at all times.
• Enclosed footwear must always be worn; sandals are not permitted.
• No gloves should come into direct contact with certain core equipment/computer accessories and in public areas including door handles.
• Always wash your hands before leaving Core Labs.
• End-users shall familiarize themselves with emergency contact numbers (as posted in each Core Lab), the evacuation route and procedures, the locations of fire extinguisher/fire sand/fire blanket, First-aid kit box, eye-washer and the safety shower.

E. Equipment Usage

• End-users must follow all rules and procedures for the use of the SBS Core equipment.
• End-users should NOT make changes or other alterations to any core equipment setting without the prior approval or supervision of the Technical Support staff.
• During office hour period: Report any incident, equipment failure, software problems, or mishaps of the equipment such as an error message shown on the equipment display to the Technical Support staff immediately by reporting the occurrence of the event such as Which instrument, what, how, and when did it happen?  End-users shall screen capture the result such as an error code message (if available) and the Technical Support staff will handle your inquiry immediately.
• During the after-hour period: If the incident, equipment failure, software problems, or mishaps of the equipment such as the error message occurs, end-users are advised to screen capture the result such as an error code message (if available), and DO NOT attempt to fix the error by repeatedly rebooting the system.  Simply switch off the equipment, put a warning sign affixed to the equipment and write down the technical problem on the log sheet. Inform the next end-user (by phone/email/Instant Messaging) and the Technical Support staff (SOLELY via "Technical Issues Report" in the Booking System) of the technical problem.  The Technical Support staff will handle your inquiry on the next working day.
• Penalty(ies) may be imposed on those who fail to report the incident.  Please refer to Section J: Obligations and penalties.  
• Referring to “SBS Core Lab Bio-Safety SOPs”, the general cleanliness of the equipment and areas being used must be performed by end-users.  The Technical Support staff will not handle any cleanliness and waste disposal for end-users.
• End-users are required to set the equipment back to its original settings and perform a proper shutdown procedure of the corer equipment, sign off logsheet, switch off the room lighting and securely close the door after EACH use during office hour and after-hour period unless getting further instructions from Technical Support staff.  

F. After-hour access

• Applicable for accessing SBS Core facility beyond office hours, on weekends, University holidays and public holidays.
• Only SBS CAT I FULL-time registered experienced staff and postgraduate students (CAT I) who have cumulative usage on the core equipment, with the approval of SBS PI and the corresponding Technical Support staff, are allowed to access core equipment at the after-hour period.
• For after-hour registration, end-users MUST have their “After-hour access” permission pre-endorsed by SBS PI, be well-trained and obtain full marks on the After-Hour Access Quiz.
• SBS Users with CAT IIA and CAT IIB status, non-SBS users, undergraduates, and short-term applicants (for working period of less than 3 months) are NOT allowed to access core equipment at after-hour period.
• The Technical Support staff will release the after-hour online booking of the core equipment and the e-lock access privilege to the end-user’s account (refer to "Levels of Access" below). 
• Read carefully and thoroughly the After-hour access guidelines, and avoid any mishaps as stated in Section E: Equipment usage during and after equipment operation.
• Level of Access:
  • Core access via CU Link card# - all Core Labs EXCEPT Histology Core and Single-Cell Omics Core
  • #Weekdays: from 17:00 - 09:00 next working day; Weekends, University Holidays & Public Holiday: 24/7

G. Data storage

• Bring your own USB/External Hard disk (HD) for recording data generated.
• It is compulsory for users to scan their USB/External HD by using the anti-virus software pre-installed on the computer of the corresponding equipment before transferring data.
• End-user should transfer their data files from the equipment after EVERY experiment.
• Data files should not be saved on any computers for longer than 1 month.  All files will be deleted after this period without user notification.

H. Account renewal/deactivation

• The SBS Core registration account will automatically be deactivated when the approved period expires.
• End-users are advised to renew their core account via the SBS Core Booking System at least 2 WEEKS before the expiry date.  End-users must create a “Draft Endorsement” under the “My Endorsement” tab and submit their request for PI approval.  
• End-users who wish to request account renewal after their account has expired must contact the SBS Core Administrator at sbscore@cuhk.edu.hk by providing the information listed in the Account De-activation email to re-activate the account.

I. Core access for Visitor(s)

• Visitor refers to the applicant who is affiliated with School/SBS PIs and would like to visit the SBS Core Laboratories in a short period of time.
• Training of Core equipment will NOT be provided by the Technical Support staff.
• End-users must have PRIOR approval from the Technical Support staff to bring visitor(s) to visit Core Labs.   
• The following procedures must be followed PRIOR to the visit:
  a.    SBS PI must inform the Technical Support staff stating the purpose and details of the visit in advance by email.  
  b.    Bring no more than 2 visitors per visit to the core lab. 
  c.    SBS PI and/or SBS registered end-users must always accompany the visitors during office hours.
  d.    The visit must not cause any disturbance to other end-users. 
  
  

J. Obligations and penalties

• Refer to "Section C: Equipment Booking" and "Section E: Equipment Usage", should the following misuse or mis-behavior conduct be found with proven evidence by the Technical Support staff during office hour AND after-hour access in Core Labs, the violator(s) may result in the revocation of access privileges or get penalized (refer to point 1 - 2 below).
  • Improper handling, alterations, and removal of equipment parts of the instrumentation without prior permission from the Technical Support staff, resulting in any malfunction of the equipment during and after the operation.
  • The name of the end-user does not match the name in the booking timeslots and operates on core equipment without prior approval.
  • Un-authorized use by non-registered users or operating by different user categories.
  • Failure to properly SHUT DOWN the equipment after use.
  • Use of the equipment without booking, without signing the logsheet, and without notifying the Technical Support staff.
• Technical Support staff will conduct a periodic cross-check on the information filled out on the logsheet, via booked-timeslot(s), especially during the after-hour period.
• If suspicious activity is noted, the Technical Support staff will request the last operated end-users to provide further information or make clarifications on the incident that happened, if deemed necessary, Technical Support staff will check the video footage from the CCTV and e-lock records.
• During the investigation period, the equipment access right of the suspected end-user will be temporarily de-activated by the Technical Support staff.
• End-users who violate the General guidelines applied in Section J a-d (except J e) with proven evidence will be given a written warning letter with PI notification. 
  
  

1. Penalty for 1st violation:

• The responsible end-user must re-do both the Orientation, Quiz for General Guidelines AND After-hour quiz with full marks and screen capture the quiz result in jpg to the Technical Support staff within 3 working days for account re-activation.
  • Section J a:
    • The PI and the responsible end-user will be liable for the cost incurred to repair and/or replace damaged equipment resulting from the misuse by their end-user.  A copy of the quotation will be forwarded to the PI for re-imbursement claim.
  • Section J b-d:
    • The timeslot(s) being used will be charged at 3 times of SBS Regular Price to the PI’s account. (N.B. SBS Regular Price = CAT IIB price)
  • Section J e:
    • The used timeslot(s) will be re-booked by the Technical Support staff as compensation timeslot(s) with verbal warning.

2. Penalty for Repeated violations applied in Section J a-e:

• A second warning letter will be issued by removing the booking access privileges of the specific piece of core equipment for 2 weeks and re-do quizzes as listed in the above.  The Technical Support staff will arrange a charged re-training session for the end-users.
• Persistent offenders (more than three violations in a calendar year) will issue a final warning letter by de-activating the user account for ONE MONTH.  Their core access right will be restored after ONE MONTH and completion of the charged retraining session with the Technical Support staff.
  
  

K. Acknowledging SBS Core Laboratories

• SBS Core Lab is here to support your research and proper acknowledgement provides great impact and success of the facility.
• For funding purposes, it is essential to acknowledge the SBS Core Laboratories in all publications, posters, abstracts, and presentations etc. for the provision of equipment, technical, and/or software support.
• We encourage the end-users to send a softcopy or provide the URL of your publication to Core Lab for record.  
• Upon receiving the copy of your publication, one FREE session on the use of core equipment will be granted as encouragement.
  
  

L. CCTV Surveillance

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) video surveillance system has been installed in all Core Labs and runs at 24/7 for security and investigation purposes. Captured video or image data will be retained for 30 days and will not be transferred to any third parties (except to the law-enforcement bodies upon request).

M. Confidentiality

• Confidential information includes, but is not limited to, student records, staff records, personal data, and any other information designated as confidential or restricted by the University. 
• Core Laboratories at the School of Biomedical Sciences may require access to the personal information of end users in connection with research activities, student participation, or employment. Such access and processing of personal data shall be undertaken solely by individuals with designated and appropriate authorization during end-users’ contract or study period.
• Core Laboratories are committed to protecting confidential information against unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, or destruction.
• All confidential information shall be safeguarded with the highest standards of care and shall be used exclusively in accordance with institutional policies, ethical obligations, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Any actual or suspected unauthorized disclosure, loss, or misuse of confidential information must be reported immediately in accordance with the University policies.

N. Access hours

For all Core Lab equipment during Office hours:

• • Morning session is 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • Afternoon session is 14:00 p.m. – 17:00 p.m.

O. SBS Core website

• SBS Core Laboratories - URL: https://core.sbs.cuhk.edu.hk/en
• SBS Core Booking System- URL: https://corelab.sbs.cuhk.edu.hk/public/

P. Enquiry

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

School of Biomedical Sciences

Core Laboratories

Room 210, Lo Kwee Seong Integrated Biomedical Sciences Building

Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong

Tel:3943 4826

Email: sbscore@cuhk.edu.hk

(updated on July 2026)

Confidentiality Declaration

I acknowledge that the Core Laboratories at the School of Biomedical Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) may require access to my personal information in connection with my research activities, student participation, or employment. I further affirm that during my contract or study period, the above mentioned information will be safeguarded with the highest standards of confidentiality and used solely in accordance with institutional policies, ethical obligations, and applicable regulatory requirements.

By this declaration, I accept full responsibility for ensuring that the integrity, safety, and confidentiality of all research-related activities under my involvement are maintained at all times.