ZMBH J.Bericht 2000 - Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der ...

Library
The library of the ZMBH offers a number of services
to support the research groups of the ZMBH. Subscriptions
to 43 scientific journals and 23 monographic
series are being entertained and the access to
online journals has been increased to 193 journals via
the central library of the university. While the online
journals can be accessed from every lab in the institute,
two computers within the library allow in addition
to use our collection of CD-ROMs which include
e. g. „Current Protocols in Molecular Biology“ and
„Current Protocols in Protein Science“. Finally, access
to articles from way out journals or backissues is provided
via the University‘s copy service.
Besides all the hard- and software support, the library
is a place for quiet and undisturbed study away from
the sometimes hectic activity at the bench.
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Hermann Bujard
Documentation Service
The ZMBH documentation service supply all type of
visual communication supports. This service includes
computer graphics, photography and graphic arts activities.
The service provides drawings and figures destined
for publications, poster sessions or conferences. The
visual supports are produced as black and white or
colour prints, as overhead transparencies or as slides.
The computerized equipment of the service is based
on two Apple Computers connected to a desktop colour
scanner, a slide scanner, a 35 mm film exposure
unit and InkJet photo quality colour printers A4 to
A2 size. Software used are Canvas and Illustrator
for drawing, Photoshop for photographic touchingup,
QuarkXPress for DTP work and PowerPoint for
slide production.
Scientific photography is increasingly handled by
computerized processes-which give high quality results
in shorter times. For those who want to learn the
use of these new imaging methods, the documentation
service provides advice and courses.
Finally other products of this service lab include any
kind of photographic shots during ZMBH symposia
and the desktop publishing and layout of the annual
report as well as other documents that the ZMBH
edits.
Yves Cully
Central Administration
The management of all personnel, of finances and of
various administrative and technical facilities of the
ZMBH lies within the responsibilities of our institute‘s
central administration.
During 1998/99, about 250 individuals have been
working at the ZMBH. They include approx. 70 Ph.D.
students, approx. 40 postdoctoral scientists and scholarship
holders from 15 nations. In addition we have 3
foreign group-leaders and many guest scientists from
foreign countries. As usual, we had a high turnover
rate of approx. 100 per year.
The ZMBH‘s financial structure is quite complex. The
state of Baden-Württemberg has, for the past years,
been the only basic financial supporter of the institute,
which has allowed an effective and efficient management
of the ZMBH‘s financial resources. However,
the institute has also been affected by the drastic
financial cuts in the public sector. In real terms, this
means the loss of 5 staff positions until 2002 in the
central infrastructure. Such personnel reductions can
only be made by restructuring the work profile in the
central services for maximum efficiency. To compensate
for the job cuts, the ZMBH has been given the
assurance of basic financial support for the coming
years.
From 1998-1999, the development of financial support
outside the public sector corresponded to the number
of occupied research group leader positions.Due to the
high staff fluctuation on this level as well as the complicated
proceedings in the appointment of a professorship,
there has been a noticeable drop in external
funding for this period as compared with the previous
period from 1996-1997. This trend is expected to even
out when all the vacant research group leader positions
are filled.
In 1998, the central administration introduced a data
base system in the areas of finance and personnel.
With this system, all research group leaders, secretaries
as well as staff members holding key functions
are able to obtain in varying detail important financial
and personnel information online. The next step is the
coordination of this system with the SAP-data base
system used by the main administration of the University
of Heidelberg. The setting up and maintenance of
the data base at the ZMBH plays a central role in
the ZMBH administration by optimising and linking
the administrative tasks as well as the wide range of
support services available to the staff members for
research and teaching.
Jürgen Auer
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