Partnership and Purchase of a Scanning Electron Microscope with Plasma Focused Ion Beam

Tender description

SPECIFICATION FOR A PARTNERSHIP RELATING TO AND THE PURCHASE OF A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE WITH PLASMA FOCUSED ION BEAM The University of Huddersfield wishes to invite proposals to establish a Strategic Partnership in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and SEM based analysis, including elemental, structural and visible/near-infrared microscopies/spectroscopies. The partnership duration in the first instance will be for 5 years. The partnership will be established for the purpose of mutual benefit for both parties. This will include collaboration in research, new instrumentation and analytical technique/methods development, teaching and staff training/CPD on a national and international level. The partners will exchange staff (on short and long term basis) for student and user training and active development on the installed instrumentation. The University will provide access for the partner's staff and support of the University staff as needed for the instrumentation development, external user training and demonstration for potential customers. The University staff and postgraduate students will take steps for the partner promotion in academic community and use their analysis results for preparation of application notes/material. It is expected that the strategic partner's staff will be actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate program development and delivery. The partners are expected to execute jointly R & D projects, apply for R & D funding and gear of investment. It is expected that research outputs will be jointly published were appropriate. All partners will use their PR capabilities for partnership outcomes publicity and preparation of promotional material. The partners will establish open forums to enhance links with academic and commercial communities. The partners will share their academic and commercial links for mutual promotion and partnership results and IP protection/commercialisation through local, nation and international channels. The partner for this venture will supply and commission the FEGSEM within the HARP facilities housed in our School of Computing and Engineering and will continue to work with the HARP staff on a variety of projects both research based and on consultancy contracts. Potential partners will be expected to consider their contribution to the partnership by the cost of the equipment or through contributions to the project cost.