Center for Applied Isotope Studies
Service Policies

The following policies apply to all analytical services performed by the Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (“CAIS”). Download as PDF

1. 1. Billing rates
      Current service rates are provided at www.cais.uga.edu. Reduced “internal” rates are available to researchers affiliated with Georgia Research Alliance institutions through the GRA Core Exchange. Applicable billing rates (internal versus external) are determined based on the billing institution/address provided at submission.
   2. Sample acceptance policies
      • CAIS follows the procedures for radiocarbon dating and cultural heritage protection outlined in the linked article (Hajdas et al. 2019). CAIS does not accept samples that are illegally obtained or transferred; submitted without required institutional approvals, permits, or authorizations; lacking required consent; accompanied by incomplete or inaccurate documentation describing the samples and project goals; or inconsistent with applicable legal, ethical, institutional, scientific, or professional standards.
      • CAIS only accepts legally obtained samples submitted by recognized research, government, industry, and academic institutions. We do not accept samples submitted by private individuals, antiquities dealers, auction houses, or private collectors.
      • CAIS does not provide authentication, appraisal, or valuation services for artifacts, artworks, or antiquities. CAIS does not analyze manuscripts, works of art, antiques, books, religious artifacts, or other materials commonly traded in antiquities markets unless they are submitted and funded by a recognized governmental agency, major museum, or other official institution conducting the work as part of a legitimate scholarly investigation.
      • CAIS may accept samples from third-party laboratories that aggregate and forward samples on behalf of multiple clients in the form of graphite, CO₂, or original material submissions. Laboratories forwarding cultural heritage materials (e.g., art, antiquities, archaeology) must be on the list of labs pledging to adhere to the Hajdas cultural heritage protocols. Laboratories working exclusively with environmental, biological, or geological samples may submit without inclusion on this list.
      • CAIS does not accept samples subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) submitted without documentation demonstrating free, prior, and informed consent obtained through consultation with all relevant Native American Tribes or Nations.
      • CAIS is a tracer-free facility and does not accept samples containing tracer or labeled (“hot”) 14C due to the risk of cross-contamination.
      • CAIS does not accept infectious or other hazardous biological materials. Samples must be rendered safe for handling prior to submission using methods that do not compromise the intended analyses.
      • CAIS reserves the right to request additional documentation or information regarding submitted samples at any stage of the research process and to decline samples that do not meet these requirements.
   3. Turnaround Times
      Estimated turnaround times are provided for planning purposes only and are not guaranteed.
   4. Sample Ownership and Disposition
      Unless otherwise agreed in writing, samples remain the property of the Client or submitting institution. Many analytical techniques are destructive. Following completion of analysis, remaining sample material (if any) shall be handled as directed by the Client according to one of the following options:
      1. Return:
         Samples may be shipped within the United States at the Client’s expense. In most cases, CAIS will not ship samples to an international address. The Client must arrange and complete return shipment within six (6) months of notification of analysis completion. Samples not claimed within this period will be subject to disposition under subsection (2).
      2. Destroy:
         Samples may be destroyed in a manner appropriate to their composition such that no usable material remains. If the Client does not specify a disposition within six (6) months of completion of analysis, CAIS will proceed with destruction.
      3. Donate:
         Samples may be donated to CAIS for training, quality control, method development, or research purposes, subject to the following conditions:
         • A five (5) year embargo period will apply, during which CAIS will not generate, use, publish, or disseminate any data or information derived from the sample except in collaboration with, or with the prior written consent of, the original submitter.
         • Following the embargo period, CAIS may use the samples and any newly generated data for research, method development, quality assurance, training, or publication purposes in an anonymized form. CAIS will not disclose information identifying the archaeological site, project, sample origin, cultural affiliation, interpretations, or submitter without collaboration with, or the prior written consent of, the original submitter.

      Note the following exceptions: Soil/sediment samples must be destroyed and are not eligible for return. Small samples and many material types are entirely consumed (e.g., graphite, CO2) or altered (e.g., water) during the analysis and are not eligible for return.

   5. Confidentiality
      CAIS will treat submitted samples, associated documentation and metadata, and analytical results as confidential and will not disclose them to third parties without the Client’s prior written permission, except where such information:
      1. 1. is or becomes publicly available through no fault of CAIS;
         2. was lawfully known to CAIS prior to submission;
         3. is received from a third party without restriction and without breach of any confidentiality obligation; or
         4. is independently developed by CAIS without use of or reference to the Client’s samples, data, or confidential information.

      Notwithstanding the above, CAIS may use and publish aggregated, anonymized, and non-identifiable operational statistics, including summary information such as sample counts, turnaround metrics, and user distribution by institution type, discipline, sector, or geographic region. Client authorization for donation of samples under Section 4(3) constitutes consent for CAIS to use and disclose data derived from such samples in accordance with the terms of that section.

   6. Data Retention
      CAIS retains analytical records, instrument data, and associated documentation for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of analysis unless a longer retention period is required by law or institutional policy. For the avoidance of doubt, this section applies to analytical records and data only, and not to physical samples.
   7. Interpretation and Use of Results
      CAIS provides analytical measurements and technical reports under a fee-for-service model but does not guarantee the interpretation or application of results. CAIS is not responsible for interpretation or use of analytical data in publications, regulatory submissions, or other applications. CAIS is not responsible for any consequences arising
      from the Client’s use or interpretation of results. This limitation does not restrict CAIS from interpreting data through its internal research activities under Section
      4(3).
   8. Intellectual Property
      CAIS provides analytical services and does not claim ownership of the Client’s samples, research materials, or resulting research findings. Clients are encouraged to acknowledge the University of Georgia Center for Applied Isotope Studies in publications resulting from analytical services.
      • Analytical data generated as part of standard services remains the property of the Client.
      • The Client retains ownership of interpretations, publications, and intellectual property arising from its use of CAIS analytical results.
      • CAIS retains ownership of its laboratory methods, protocols, instrumentation configurations, and internal analytical procedures.

Data generated by CAIS through internal research or method development activities using donated samples are the intellectual property of CAIS and may be retained, used, and published by CAIS in accordance with Section 4(3).