Using the Microbiotron: Once the system is running (target date July 2019), we plan to have interested potential users apply through this website. Day-to-day use of the Microbiotron (scheduling, co-ordinating grant applications, user training, setup and takedown) will be managed by an associate research specialist, while the long-term planning will be managed by the administrative committee (composed of the Co-PIs), which will meet quarterly to evaluate policies, procedures, and proposals for facility use. All users will be expected to provide brief project summaries to be posted on the Microbiotron website.

Location: The Microbiotron will be housed at the UW-Madison Biotron Laboratory for the duration of the grant, with the possibility for deployment in other locations in the future.

Fees: Basic maintenance and experimental setup/takedown will be covered by usage fees. Use fees will be managed and updated by an administrative committee (comprised of the PIs) with the goal of minimizing fees and maximizing accessibility. We will be calibrating our fee structure during the two years of the grant. Our initial budgeting expectation is a fee of ~$25 day^-1 for PIs and Collaborators, ~$35 day^-1 for UW researchers at-large, and ~$50 day^-1 for non-UW users. This fee will include setup and takedown, use of the Microbiotron chambers, sensors, and analytical capabilities, and will cover maintenance and periodic replacement of components. (It will not cover the construction of new types of chambers, consumables such as ¹³CO₂ gas, or sampling and day-to-day maintenance of users’ experiments.) Depending on the needs of the Microbiotron user, additional control can be achieved by housing the Microbiotron in controlled rooms within the Biotron for an additional cost.