Collaboration with the NMR platform provides access to a shared analytical infrastructure where advanced instrumentation is combined with applied scientific expertise. Serving both internal researchers and external partners, the platform supports collaborative research across disciplines by offering high‑quality measurements, informed interpretation, and a flexible approach tailored to each scientific question.
On a typical morning at the NMR facility, the hum of instruments blends with quiet conversation in the operator room. Local user from the chemistry floors above arrive with freshly prepared samples, and in wall-to-wall prep-lab the NMR staff makes final preparation steps on the external samples that arrived yesterday. Some require routine measurements and other require specialized setup that has been discussed in detail with the customer but still may need adjustments on the fly by the experienced personnel on site. All of them pass through the same infrastructure, where technical precision and scientific judgment meet everyday practice.
The NMR infrastructure has grown over time into a central analytical resource, supporting internal research while also handling assignments for companies and organizations beyond the institution. What defines the facility today is not only its instrumentation, but the way expertise is applied, case by case, sample by sample.
– One moment we’re helping a PhD student interpret a tricky 2D experiment, the next we’re running a quantitative analysis for an external client that needs documented results, says Tobias Sparrman, Staff scientist at the NMR platform.
The infrastructure is used by a broad range of researchers across chemistry, life sciences, materials research, and related fields. At the same time, external organizations, ranging from small start ups to established industrial players, rely on the facility for measurements they cannot easily perform in house.
Rather than separating “internal” and “external” work into different systems, the facility operates as a single, shared platform. This approach allows the same standards, instruments, and expertise to be applied across all assignments.
The NMR suite comprises spectrometers at several field strengths, equipped with probes and accessories chosen to support both high end research and high throughput routine analysis. Some instruments are booked months in advance for complex experiments; others handle a steady flow of samples requiring fast, reliable answers.
From an operational perspective, the focus is less on headline specifications and more on stability and readiness.
– Our job is to keep everything calibrated, predictable, and ready when someone walks in with a problem, says Tobias Sparrman about the precision it takes to be able to run 24/7.
SciLifeLab Swedish NMR Centre (KBC-huset) Umeå Fotogra Mikael Wallerstedt
ImageMikael WallerstedtVariable temperature setups, multinuclear capability, cryoprobes, and gradient systems are all part of the daily toolkit, enabling staff to adapt experiments to sample constraints rather than forcing samples into predefined methods.
Many assignments end not with a spectrum, but with a discussion. Researchers and clients often arrive with data from other techniques, incomplete structures, or signals that do not immediately make sense. In these cases, NMR becomes an interpretative process rather than a routine measurement.
Facility staff routinely assist with:
Assignments from external companies and organizations form a steady part of the workload. These range from clearly defined measurement requests to open ended analytical questions that require discussion before any experiment is run.
External work follows the same technical procedures as internal research, but with added emphasis on documentation, confidentiality, and clarity of reporting. Results are delivered in formats suitable for internal decision making, regulatory contexts, or further development work.
For external partners, trust is everything.
Alongside measurements, the NMR infrastructure functions as a learning environment. New users are trained not just to run experiments, but to understand their limitations. Advanced users return for discussions when experiments behave unexpectedly.
This combination of service and teaching helps maintain a high level of competence across the user base while allowing the facility to remain efficient and safe.
Much of the facility’s work happens out of sight. Overnight experiments, careful re processing of spectra, conversations scribbled on lab notebooks. Yet its impact is visible across publications, theses, development projects, and decision reports beyond the institution’s walls.
In this way, the NMR infrastructure continues to operate as both a technical platform and a collective of expertise supporting discovery, collaboration, and external engagement through every day, methodical work.
