Project planning and quotes
How do I get a pro forma quote?
Email Nebahat Doğan (nebahat.dogan@umram.bilkent.edu.tr) with:
- Project title
- Funding program you are applying to (for example TÜBİTAK 1001)
- Name of the principal investigator
- Scanner (3T or 1.5T)
- With or without technician support
- Total planned scan time (hours)
Hourly rates are listed on the MRI Usage Procedures page.
Do you support protocols and sequences?
Yes, we help set up standard protocols. When your study needs study-specific adaptations, users make those adaptations themselves. The scope of support is set out in the MRI Usage Agreement.
Does UMRAM provide TÜRKAK accreditation or a test acceptance certificate?
No. UMRAM is a research center, not a test laboratory accredited under ISO/IEC 17025. We therefore cannot provide accreditation, test acceptance certificates or MR safety certification for medical devices (MR Safe or MR Conditional). We also do not perform tests under ASTM F2052, F2213, F2182 or F2119.
Ethics and legal requirements
Which ethics approval do I need for my study?
Imaging studies with human participants need approval from a human research ethics committee. Preclinical studies with animals need approval from an animal experiments ethics committee. Bookings and scans are not possible without ethics approval.
Do participants need to be insured?
Users running studies with participants are responsible for insuring them against health problems that may arise during or after the study. UMRAM cannot be held responsible for such health problems.
Who provides medical staff for patient and animal studies?
UMRAM does not provide medical or veterinary services. For studies with patients, the research team must bring the relevant medical staff, and for animal studies a veterinarian, who must be present throughout the scan.
Booking and preparation
How do I book an MRI session?
Find a free slot in the 3T Google calendar and send your request to Tantürk Baştuğ (tanturk.bastug@umram.bilkent.edu.tr) with the subject “Person scanning, Project name/number, PI”. Once your booking is confirmed, fill in the reservation form before the session. Before your first scan you must complete the MR safety and user training.
Details: MRI Usage Procedures
Can observers or interns enter the MRI room?
Observers and interns may be in the console room only after completing MR safety training and signing the MRI User Agreement Form, and only together with a certified operator. Nobody enters the magnet room without metal screening. Untrained or unapproved people are not let in.
Details: MR Safety and User Training
Scan day
How early should I arrive?
Arrive at least 30 minutes before your booking. If you are scanning a participant, arrive 1 hour early for preparation. Scans must not run past the booked time, so the next user’s session is not delayed.
When booking, include the time needed for preparation inside the scanner, and for clearing and cleaning the room and getting it ready for the next session afterwards.
Which forms must participants complete?
Every participant must fill in and sign two forms before the scan:
- Informed consent form: the consent form approved by the study’s ethics committee.
- MRI contraindication form: the safety form asking about pacemakers, implants, metal in the body, pregnancy and similar conditions.
Participants are not taken into the magnet room without these forms. If any answer raises doubt, the scan does not go ahead.
What should I do if a participant does not show up?
Let Tantürk Baştuğ (tanturk.bastug@umram.bilkent.edu.tr) know as soon as possible so the slot can be offered to another user. Terms for unused bookings are in the MRI Usage Agreement.
Whom do I contact if something goes wrong during a scan?
In an emergency call 6666 (0312 290 6666 from a mobile, or 112 if unreachable). Step-by-step instructions are in the MRI Emergency Guide.
For technical problems with the scanner or the session, contact Tantürk Baştuğ (tanturk.bastug@umram.bilkent.edu.tr).
How do I get my data after the scan?
Users must transfer their data to an external disk or storage location right after the scan. UMRAM does not store data. Data that are not transferred are deleted from the scanner.