Oxford Facility

Outside User Policy

The Oxford Tract Greenhouse supports 'outside users' - principal investigators who are not affiliated with UC Berkeley or Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - on a limited basis, provided the projects meet the following criteria:

1. The outside user must fulfill all the requirements of the  Berkeley Research Infrastructure Commons Access Agreement 

2. Projects must be a legitimate research use that cannot be accommodated at other plant growth facilities in the region 

3. Approval must be granted by the Oxford Facility Oversight Committee and RCNR Dean's Office 

4. The agreements are on a renewable six month term

5. UC Berkeley and LBL principal investigators have priority; the agreement will not be renewed if those parties require space

6. Projects must be small in size, generally 500 sf floor space or less

7. Outside users pay full cost, and all indirect and administrative costs (69.5% in FY24) per the facility recharge rates 

8. Facility users must comply with all applicable UC Berkeley biosafety, security, and health and safety policies   

Growth Chamber Policy

There are five shared growth chambers at Oxford Tract available for use by UC Berkeley and LBL affiliates on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please submit a Growth Chamber Sign-Up sheet to the Oxford Tract Facility Manager to be placed on the waiting list. 

1. Applications must have an end date and UC Berkeley chart string. After the end date, projects may be ended by greenhouse management and the chamber reassigned to another project. Initial requests must be a year or less in duration.

2. PIs will be recharged for growth chamber space for the entirety of the space request, regardless of occupancy or experimental use, unless the Facility Manager is notified of the end of their project and the chamber is vacated.

3. Contact the Facility Manager at least two weeks in advance if you require reprogramming, cleaning, or pest control services in your assigned growth chamber.

4. The growth chambers at Oxford Tract are old and subject to mechanical and maintenance needs. Facilities Services makes every effort to keep them running but they may fail unexpectedly and repairs can take an extended time to complete. 

PI-Owned Chambers

There is a limited amount of space available in the South Greenhouse basement for installation of new PI-owned chambers. PIs will be responsible for all costs associated with the chamber including installation, commissioning, moving, utility supply, permits, and project management fees. These costs are considerable - at least the cost of the chamber itself. Installations are managed by Capital Projects and take an extended time to complete. Please contact the Facility Manager at least two months before you apply for funding or offer a startup package to determine feasibility and installation costs of an additional chamber to be located at the Oxford Tract. 

Once installed, the PI will be responsible for all costs and maintenance associated with the PI-owned chambers such as repairs, cleaning, relamping, and supplies. Chambers must be maintained in working order, and plants adequately maintained therein, or the chamber must be repaired or removed at the expense of the PI or department.