Starting a project

Please complete this checklist to successfully start your project at the Spinoza Centre:

Compulsory actions prior to scanning

1. Get ethical approval: Make sure you have ethical approval for your study from an authorized Dutch ethical committee. This approval must include a mandatory screening form and subject information and must include an incidental findings procedure. Below you can find information on our procedures, which you are welcome to use:
   • Please find examples of the mandatory screening form and example subject information here.
   • Note that, in order to make use of our incidental findings procedure, you have to use a specific text in your subject information / informed consent.
   • You may also want to include something on Public data sharing*, which is required nowadays by Dutch granting agencies.
2. Get a Spinoza account, if you do not have one already, request one by mailing support, adding a filled in project form as an attachment. In due course you will receive an email with info about your Spinoza account, which will give you access to the MR reservation system Calpendo as well as other Spinoza resources.
3. Register your project: To register your project in Calpendo go to Projects --> Create Project and upload the aforementioned project form in Calpendo, making sure that the short title matches your Calpendo project name. Upload the relevant appendices (e.g. proof of ethical approval) along with the project form.
4. Get access to the building: Make sure you can access the building.
5. Get safety certified: Make sure all people that will assist in the MRI area have received training and certification for MR safety. This is compulsory also when you make use of scanning assistance and MR operators.
6. Data export: Regarding structured data export, please contact Tomas Knapen at the time you run the first pilot session.

Compulsory MRI procedures

1. Book scanning time using our booking site following our booking procedures.
2. Arrange an MR operator (this can be yourself, a colleague, or a scanning assistant). The MR operator will run an MRI experiment and is responsible for the safety of everyone present during the experiment. We have trained MR operators (scanning assistants) who can run an MRI experiment for you. Scanning assistants are familiar with scanning procedures and safety but they do not necessarily know the details of your experiment.
   • Please contact [[email protected] support] for more information on scanning assistance. To request scanning assistance you can send an email to scanning
   • You can also request a scanning assistant through our booking site on certain days.
   • We also train users to scan themselves and become MR operators.

Highly recommended additional procedures

1. You may want to Pilot your project. Pilots are not typically billed, please follow the link for piloting procedures.
2. Plan a project presentation at one of the SUM meetings (this can be after the start of the project), coordinate with Minni McMaster. You can use these meetings to get feedback from experienced Spinoza staff and users for your project.