Rules for External Users of Research Facilities and Services

 

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology School Corporation
Rules for External Use of Core Facilities

 

Decision by the Provost on December 17, 2025

 

Article 1    (Purpose) 

These Rules establish the necessary matters concerning the use of research equipment, instruments, and services (hereinafter referred to as "Core Facilities") managed and operated by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology School Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the "Corporation") by persons other than the Corporation's faculty, staff, students, and their collaborators. 

 

Article 2    (Scope of Services)

Among the Core Facilities, those that the Corporation may provide for external use (hereinafter referred to as "External Use Services") shall be as listed in the separately established fee schedule. 

 

Article 3    (Definitions)

The parties referred to in these Rules are defined as follows: 

1. Core Facilities General Manager: The Provost 

2. Core Facilities Managers: The Director of Core Facilities and Section Leaders of the Core Facilities who manage and operate the relevant External Use Services 

3. Core Facilities Operational Staff: Members of each section who, under the direction of the Core Facilities Managers, are engaged in the operation of their respective Core Facilities 

4. Responsible Staff: Collective term for Core Facilities Managers and Core Facilities Operational Staff 

5. External Use Planning and Management Officers: The Director of Core Facilities and Deputy Directors who supervise the operational planning and management necessary for the external use of the Core Facilities 

6. Operations Planning Staff: Designated members of the Core Facilities Administration Section who assist the External Use Planning and Management Officers in matters related to external use. 

 

Article 4    (Eligibility for Use)

 

Persons who are eligible to use External Use Services (hereinafter referred to as "Users") are as follows: 

1. Academic users: Individuals affiliated with universities, research institutes, or other public research institutions who engage in non-profit research activities 

2. Industrial users: Individuals affiliated with for-profit enterprises 

3. Others: Individuals who do not fall under either of the above categories, whose eligibility shall be determined on a case-by-case basis 

 

Article 5    (Restrictions on Purpose of Use)

1. Users shall not use External Use Services for any purpose other than that stated in the research equipment use application form prescribed in Article 7.  

2. Users shall warrant that neither their use of the External Use Services nor any resulting outcomes fall under any of the following: 

(1) Matters that are unethical, political, illegal, or criminal in nature  

(2) Development of military equipment, chemical weapons, or items with similar capabilities.  

 

Article 6    (Methods of Using External Use Services)

Use of External Use Services shall be conducted by one of the following methods:  

1. The User operates the equipment or facilities by themselves 

2. The User requests the Responsible Staff to perform tasks such as measurements, etc. using the equipment 

 

Article 7    (Usage Application)

Prospective users shall submit the prescribed research equipment use application form, as determined by the Corporation, to the Core Facilities General Manager or Core Facilities Managers and request approval for the External Use Services.  

 

Article 8    (Approval or Rejection of Use)

The Core Facilities General Manager or Core Facilities Managers shall approve the application under the preceding Article for Users deemed appropriate. When multiple requests for use conflict during the same period, internal use by the Corporation shall take priority, and permission shall be granted in accordance with the order listed in Article 4, items 1 to 3 of these Rules. 

 

Article 9    (Notification of Changes)

Users approved under the preceding Article shall promptly notify the Core Facilities Manager or Operations Planning Staff of any changes to the matters provided in the application form, except for changes regarding users other than the representative (affiliation, title, name), and obtain approval for such changes. 

 

Article 10    (Payment of Usage Fees)

1. Users shall pay the usage fees prescribed in the fee schedule by the deadline specified by the Corporation, via bank transfer to the bank account designated by the Corporation, based on the invoice issued by the Corporation. 

2. The usage fees in the preceding paragraph shall be calculated based on the fee schedule in effect at the time the equipment is used. 

3. The Corporation shall not refund usage fees once paid, except where the External Use Services cannot be provided due to reasons attributable to the Corporation, such as equipment malfunction.  

4. The Corporation may require full or partial advance payment of usage fees in any of the following cases: 

(1) When the User is an individual or a private company/organization using the facility for the first time. 

(2) When the User is an institution or an individual located overseas. 

(3) When there has been a payment delay in past use.  

(4) When the estimated total cost for a single use is high. 

(5) When the Corporation deems prepayment appropriate from the perspective of facility operation/management or credit management. 

 

5. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs, for projects involving long-term use or exceptionally high total usage fees, the Corporation and the User may, upon consultation, separately determine the timing and method of payment, including installment payments. 

 

Article 11    (Measures in Case of Late Payment)

1. Reminder 

If payment of usage fees is not made by the payment deadline without legitimate reason, the Corporation shall issue a reminder to the User in writing or by email or other appropriate means.  

2. Restriction of Use 

If the User does not respond to the reminder in the preceding paragraph and the usage fees remain unpaid, the Corporation may take the following measures with respect to the User until payment is completed: 

(1) Suspend acceptance of new usage applications; 

(2) Temporarily suspend approved or ongoing equipment use. 

 

3. Revocation of Approval 

If the Corporation determines that a User falls under any of the following, the Corporation may revoke its approval for the User’s use of the facilities: 

(1) The User has significantly delayed payment of usage fees without legitimate reason; 

(2) The User repeatedly fails to respond to reminders or otherwise exhibits dishonest conduct. 

 

4. Late Fees and Legal Measures 

If the Corporation determines that the period of non-payment is prolonged or the User’s response is malicious, the Corporation may charge late fees. The Corporation may also take legal measures as necessary. 

 

Article 12    (User Responsibilities)

1. Users must thoroughly read the user guides established by the Corporation, receive the necessary training from the Responsible Staff when using the External Use Services, and follow their instructions. 

2. In using the External Use Services, Users shall comply with the relevant provisions set forth in the Corporation’s rules and regulations. When approval from an advisory committee established by the Corporation is required, such approval must be obtained. 

3. Intellectual property rights included in research results and data arising from the use of the External Use Services that are jointly developed, created, conceived, discovered, or practiced by the Users through contributions from the Responsible Staff or other University staff shall be jointly owned by the Users and the Corporation. The respective shares and handling thereof shall be determined in each case by mutual consultation between the parties in accordance with applicable laws. 

4. Users shall not enter any area other than those designated by the Core Facilities General Manager and Core Facilities Managers without permission. 

5. When using the External Use Services, Users shall not employ research methods that may adversely affect the normal operation of the Core Facilities. 

6. When using the External Use Services, delivery and removal of any consumables, samples, and other items required individually shall be carried out under the  responsibility and at the expense of the Users. 

7. Users shall, in accordance with the instructions of the Responsible Staff, organize and tidy the Core Facilities and their locations of use, and clean the area after use. 

8. When using the External Use Services, Users shall bear final responsibility for their own research and acknowledge that the Corporation does not guarantee the achievement of the research. 

 

Article 13    (Conditions of Use)

1. Use of the Core Facilities by Users shall be limited to the extent that it does not interfere with the Corporation's educational and research activities. 

2. The dates and times of use shall be determined in consultation between the User and the Responsible Staff. 

3. The hours of use for the External Use Services shall, in principle, be from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. 

4. Users must complete all work, including cleanup, within the permitted time. 

5. The closing days for the External Use Services shall be as follows: 

(1) Sundays, Saturdays, and holidays as defined in the Act on National Holidays (Act No. 178 of 1948) 

(2) December 29 through January 3 

(3) Other days deemed necessary by the Core Facilities General Manager 

 

Article 14    (Measures in Case of Abnormalities)

When a User detects any abnormality in the facilities or equipment while using the Core Facilities, the User must immediately stop using them and report the matter to the Responsible Staff. 

 

Article 15    (Reporting)

When a User has completed or discontinued the use of the Core Facilities, the User must promptly report this to the Responsible Staff.  

 

Article 16    (Cancellation of Approval for Use)

The Core Facilities General Manager may revoke a User’s approval for use or suspend the User’s access to the External Use Services for a certain period if the User falls under any of the following: 

1. The User has violated these Rules or the user guidelines established for the Core Facilities. 

2. The User has made a false statement in the application form. 

3. The User has caused disruption to the operations of the Corporation or the Core Facilities. 

4. The Core Facilities Manager determines that the User does not possess the necessary technical skills to handle the Core Facilities. 

5. The User otherwise fails to follow the instructions of the Responsible Staff. 

 

Article 17    (Compensation for Damages)

1. When a User causes damage or loss to the Core Facilities or any other property of the Corporation, including facilities, equipment and furnishings, the User shall promptly compensate for such damage and loss. The User shall also be liable for any disruption to the Corporation’s research or educational activities resulting from such damage. 

2. If the User belongs to an Institution (such as a company or university), that Institution shall be primarily liable for compensating for the damages specified in the preceding paragraph. 

3. If the User is an individual not affiliated with any Institution, the User shall be solely liable for compensating the damages specified in Paragraph 1. 

4. The Corporation shall not be liable for any damages suffered by the Users or any third party arising from the use of the External Use Services. 

 

Article 18    (Confidentiality)

The Corporation and Users shall not disclose to any third party any information obtained from the other party in connection with the use of the External Use Services without the other party's prior written approval. However, in light of the Corporation's "Openness in Research" policy, which requires timely disclosure of research outcomes, and taking into account the outline of the research equipment use application submitted by the Users as well as other publicly available information, the Corporation may disclose or publish such information to the extent necessary.  

 

Article 19    (Handling of Personal Information)

1. The Corporation and Users shall use any personal information obtained in connection with the External Use Services only to the extent necessary for the provision of such service, and shall not use such information for any purposes other than the intended purpose. 

2. The Corporation shall handle personal information in accordance with the OIST Rules for Personal Information Protection and applicable laws and regulations, and shall not provide such personal information to any third party without the consent of the individual concerned, except as permitted by said laws and regulations.  

3. The Users shall not provide to any third party any personal information obtained in connection with the External Use Services, except in the cases specified in the preceding paragraph. 

 

Article 20    (Handling of Data)

1. Analytical data obtained through the User’s use of the External Use Services shall belong to the User, and the Corporation shall not be responsible for the results of such analysis. The Corporation shall also not be responsible for creating backups or storing analytical data belonging to external users. 

2. When Users publish research results obtained using the External Use Services, they shall clearly indicate that External Use Services were used. 

3. Users shall not advertise, describe, or disseminate any articles that could be misunderstood as implying that the Corporation or its personnel guarantee any specific product, goods, service, or the efficacy, effects, or performance by virtue of providing External Use Services. 

 

Article 21    (Miscellaneous Provisions)

1. In addition to what is provided for in these Rules, matters necessary for the use of the Core Facilities shall be separately determined by the Core Facilities General Manager. 

2. These Rules may be revised as appropriate, and any revised Rules shall be posted on the website designated by the Corporation. Users who began using the External Use Services before a revision and continue to use them afterward shall be deemed to have agreed to the revised Rules, which shall thereafter apply to them. 

 

Supplementary Provisions

These Rules shall come into effect on December 17, 2025.