NMR User Program at NMRFAM

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PROJECT SUMMARY The National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison (NMRFAM) provides timely and reliable access to mature NMR technology for application to a wide array of biomedical research questions. NMRFAM has staff with decades of experience in facility operation and maintenance, a dozen high-field NMR spectrometers equipped with state-of-the-art probe technology, and facility infrastructure (ample space, uninterrupted power systems, environmental control, helium recovery) second to none, and NMRFAM has been at the forefront of standardization, data stewardship through FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data principles and dissemination of best practices to the community. Support through the NIGMS R24 program of NMRFAM through the R24 mechanism at NIGMS would support broad access to this exceptional resource in Madison to leverage economies of scale, including stable and efficient operation that maximizes data quality and minimizes instrument down time, facilitating many types of experiments that scientists are not able to perform at their home institutions. Furthermore, the proposed next generation user program improves the rigor and reproducibility of NMR data collection through instrument quality control, standard operating procedures, new sample standards for microcrystalline proteins and nucleic acids, membrane proteins and fibrils, including development of approaches for dynamics and function as well as structure. NMRFAM staff provide an exceptional level of service tailored to the needs of individual users and projects, serving arguably the broadest user base of any NMR facility in the US. NMRFAM actively seeks to support diverse users through outreach and user training opportunities (workshops, video tutorials, protocols) to teach users how to understand and analyze their NMR data. NMRFAM has a goal of providing users more than spectra, and the facility provides staff support and automation tools to return deliverables: i.e., scientific knowledge not only data. The NMRFAM mission lowers barriers to NMR and maximizes the impact of the facility when users can successfully apply the NMR data to answer their biological question of interest. NMRFAM has built a reputation as a top-level facility for external users and this project will maintain affordable access to NMRFAM. NMRFAM staff will regularly evaluate performance criteria and consult with the external advisory committee and facility users so that the facility continues to remain at the cutting edge and meet the needs of its user base.