Access Rules and mandatory training

General rules

Before accessing the Facility, users must complete the general safety and privacy training provided online by UNITN:

  • “Health and Safety at Work Course - General”

  • "Guidelines to Privacy and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”

    • https://didatticaonline.unitn.it/ateneo/ 
      The course is provided by UNITN. Should you opt for the Italian course, please note that it is divided into two distinct sections: "Linee Guida in materia di Privacy e del Regolamento Generale sulla Protezione dei Dati (GDPR)" and "Linee Guida in materia di Privacy e del Regolamento Generale sulla Protezione dei Dati (GDPR) - MODULO RICERCA". Upon successful completion, the course-completion certificate (or certificates for both Italian sections) must be uploaded to CLARA.

Specific rules

Use of certain laboratories (e.g. the EEG laboratory) and certain equipment (e.g. the EyeLink) is subject to having or acquiring the necessary skills and autonomy. Therefore, users must complete additional specific training, which depends on the type of study to be conducted. In general, the studies carried out in the EPL Facility can be divided into two macro categories, depending on the method used:

  • Behavioural studies;
  • EEG studies.

Training must be completed before you can book (see the information given in point 4) and use the Facility resources (laboratories and/or equipment). In any case, only the resources strictly necessary to conduct the experimental activities, as reported in CLARA, will be made available.

After long periods of inactivity or proven failure to observe use procedures, an extraordinary assessment of skills and consideration of degree of user autonomy may be implemented.

Access to the Facility may be suspended if health situations or situations of clear risk emerge, as envisaged by current regulations governing safety at work.

Behavioural studies

Behavioural studies are usually associated with low risk, most of which is linked to video terminal operator activity. So, beyond general training, also required is a short internal training course on:

  • the understanding of the guidelines described in the regulations;
  • correct use of the equipment with which the investigator will come into contact;
  • compliance with current rules, procedures and regulations in force at EPL;
  • compliance with safety measures and the protection of privacy.

Once the above training has been completed, the certificate will be supplied to be uploaded to CLARA.

In addition to the foregoing, the low risk safety course must also be passed:

Users involved in behavioural studies who have completed basic training can access the following resources (spaces and related equipment):

  • Psychophysical laboratories
  • Multisensorial laboratory
  • Kinematics laboratory
  • Eye movements laboratory
  • Systems for tracking eye movements (Eyelink 1000, Tobii T120)
  • Multifunction laboratory (CeRiN).

As a general rule, no specific authorisation by an Ethics Committee is required for behavioural studies. However, researchers are required to upload privacy and data access declarations to CLARA. Moreover, laboratory activities – including booking resources – can be carried out autonomously, even by students/trainees, after having completed internal training (see above) conducted by laboratory staff and/or those responsible for the research and who have previously completed this same training. The internal training addresses not only the understanding of all guidelines described in this Regulation but also the correct use of the equipment, with particular regard for the most delicate and costly equipment.

Please note: It cannot be excluded that, after an assessment of a research project, even behavioural studies may require approval from an Ethics Committee, a university training course for medium risk, or the prohibition of students/trainees accessing the resources autonomously.

EEG studies

For EEG studies, in addition to the general training listed above, the following course must also be passed:

EEG use requires necessary skills to manage equipment and data. Inexpert users must complete an internal training course, managed by Facility staff, following which, one of two access methods may be assigned:

  • expert/autonomous user: autonomous access to the laboratory and equipment.
  • NON-expert/non-autonomous user: access to the laboratory and equipment only with the supervision of an expert user.
Authorisation as NON-expert/non-autonomous user

This grants access to EEG equipment and spaces only when supervised by an autonomous user. Internal training includes general training on:

  • understanding regulations;
  • the correct use of EEG and other equipment;
  • compliance with current EPL rules, procedures and regulations and those specific to EEG laboratories;
  • compliance with safety measures and the protection of privacy.

Users who have completed the training described above will receive a training certificate, which must be uploaded to CLARA. The presence of an expert user must serve to support the inexpert user, transferring knowledge and skills.

Authorisation as expert/autonomous user

The user can access EEG resources (spaces and equipment) autonomously after internal training that focuses on data acquisition. This training involves a period of shadowing an expert user and concludes with a final verification of skills. During the verification, the user must demonstrate the ability to autonomously conduct an entire experimental session, while correctly applying all rules, including those linked to privacy and data security. Upon completion of training, a training certificate will be supplied to be uploaded to CLARA.

Before commencing, any EEG study involving the EPL Facility must obtain an opinion in favour from the competent Ethics Committee.

Access to EEG equipment is also permitted to masters and/or degree students, but only if suitably supervised by anutonomous users. Students/trainees cannot, however, book resources.

 

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