# The Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center supplement

> **NIH NIH U24** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $2,495,635

## Abstract

Project Summary
Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) propose to host a
National Center for Cryo-electron Microscopy – The Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center (S2C2) – to
meet the emerging national need for cryoEM as a tool for atomic-resolution structural biology.
The proposed S2C2 will (1) establish and keep at the forefront, state-of-the-art cryo-electron
microscopes to satisfy users’ needs for atomic-resolution image data, (2) archive image data
with appropriate metadata, (3) provide computing resources to assess data quality in real time,
(4) inform and recruit potential users across the U.S. about the public accessibility of the Center,
(5) establish an open, fair, transparent and efficient process to select user proposals based on
scientific impact and specimen readiness, regardless of users’ geographic locations or
affiliations, (6) help users to overcome technical hurdles and enable them to obtain high-
resolution cryoEM structures quickly with a rigorous validation protocol, (7) form and facilitate a
user network to exchange information seamlessly, (8) train users to become independent
cryoEM investigators, (9) integrate user and trainee feedback into a continuous loop of facility
enhancement, and (10) optimize operations to achieve the above tasks effectively and
efficiently. Dr. Wah Chiu, the Contact PI, has decades of experience developing high-resolution
cryoEM technologies and directing research and training enterprises across multiple institutions.
Drs. Michael Schmid and Britt Hedman, also PIs of the Center, bring complementary expertise
in cryoEM, structural biology, and management and operation of large-scale national user
facilities. A Center Director of Operations, three skilled cryoEM specialists, a technical assistant,
and a user facility administrator will carry out the S2C2 day-to-day operations, including data
collection, quality assessment, and cross-training. This S2C2 will reside in a new building at
SLAC. It will leverage SLAC’s expertise in serving thousands of users each year at its renowned
X-ray synchrotron and free electron laser user facilities. An Advisory Committee comprised of
external expert scientists as well as user representatives will provide advice regarding S2C2
operations and development. Our Center will build on the unique strengths and support from
Stanford and SLAC, and will create a unique environment that combines high throughput
cryoEM data generation with training the next generation of cryoEM scientists.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10248231
- **Project number:** 3U24GM129541-03S2
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Wah Chiu
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,495,635
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10248231

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10248231, The Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center supplement (3U24GM129541-03S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10248231. Licensed CC0.

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