To start a new study at CUBIC the following steps need to be taken:

This step includes:

• confirming with CUBIC MRI Operations Officer (Ari) that the necessary scanning sequences are in place, that any external equipment (e.g., for stimulation, response recording, or biophysical monitoring) is available for use and compatible with the chosen scanning procedure, and that provisions have been made for data storage and management.
• if the investigator is unsure of which method is most appropriate, they should discuss this with CUBIC staff, the CUBIC Director, and colleagues with suitable experience before seeking formal approval.
• if the necessary equipment needs to be purchased through a grant, or will be provided by the investigator, that the equipment is confirmed to be MR-safe and compatible with CUBIC facilities (consult Ari the CUBIC Safety Officer).
• that the number and length of scans can be accommodated within the time frame of the proposed study (this needs to be agreed with the CUBIC Director).

To accomplish this, users need to submit a completed CUBIC Project Proposal Form detailing the methods used, number of scanning hours and duration of the study, and any specific technical requirements of the study. Please send this to the MRI Operations Officer (Ari), and CC the CUBIC director (Robin) and the Head of MRI Research Culture (Carl).

Note that the purpose of CUBIC project approval is solely to ensure the study can be accommodated within the constraints of existing facilities, resources, and scanner availability. It is not intended to scrutinise the methodology, statistical design, scientific merit, or ethics of the study, nor replicate existing processes for internal/external grant review or ethics approval. (RHUL users only: prior approval is required from the CUBIC Director for any grant applications involving MRI).

Obtain ethical approval for your study from an authorised research ethical committee (e.g., at RHUL or a partner institution). This approval must include a mandatory screening form and subject information (see Ethics). 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 (LINK).
• You may also want to include something on public data sharing, using our open repositories form (LINK)

This is mandatory for unfunded projects (i.e., those supported by scanning credits), projects run by investigators (including faculty) who have no prior experience using the methods in the proposed study, and projects run by PGR/PGT students. Experienced investigators (faculty or PDRAs) with funding, who are already familiar with the methods used in the study, are not required to present their project prior to starting scanning, but are strongly encouraged to do so. All investigators are encouraged to present results from ongoing studies at CUBIC work-in- progress (WIP) meetings.

Project presentation format

• Presentations are limited to 10 minutes (~10 slides). Background information should be limited and focused on the specific question you are investigating. The primary focus should be on the design of the experiment (e.g., brain region/s investigated, MRI method used, key acquisition parameters such as voxel size, number of slices, and TR, task structure, scanning protocol, planned pre-processing/analyses, software needed)
• The hypotheses should be clearly stated, including for each hypothesis what measurements will be used to test that hypothesis. For largely exploratory studies, describe the expected results in broad terms.
• Please include information about (i) the groups being tested, (ii) the conditions, (iii) the baseline, (iv) the number of runs, (v) the timing of blocks/events, (vi) the stimuli and responses collected including peripheral measurements (e.g., eye movements), (vii) MRI methods and acquisition parameters (e.g., BOLD, DTI, ASL, MRS; voxel size; number of slices; TR, etc)
• Be prepared to answer questions about why the particular MRI method was chosen, what brain regions will be measured from, how the measurements will address the hypotheses asked, the choice of experimental design and sample size, what analysis methods and software will be used, and your experience and training using the analysis tools

Please send the slides and a title to Carl Hodgetts (carl.hodgetts@rhul.ac.uk) one week prior to your presentation date. He will then check the slide format and upload the slides onto the computer at the time of presentation (if necessary).

To find out how to become a trained operator, please consult the 'How to become an Authorised Person (AP) at CUBIC guide on the CUBIC Wiki.

Once the above steps have been completed, the investigator will be given authorisation to start the study by a member of the management committee (subject to the CUBIC operating procedures and regulations). Authorised studies will be given a unique booking code by the CUBIC staff, which must be used when booking scanning slots for the study. Happy scanning!

Downloadable forms

• Project proposal form