Pricing and Engagement Models
Transparent engagement models for bioinformatics analysis, project design, and scientific consulting. Start with a scoping call.
Microbiome Design works on project-scoped engagements. You describe the data, the question, and the deadline. We scope the work and agree a fixed price before starting. No open-ended retainers. No surprise invoices. A scoping call is free and takes thirty minutes.
Clients that know what they are paying for make better collaborators.
How projects are priced
Fixed price per project, scoped after an initial call. Price is agreed before work starts based on data volume, analysis complexity, and deliverable requirements. A deposit is taken upfront. There are no open-ended retainers and no billing surprises — scope is defined before work begins.
What a scoping call costs
Nothing. Thirty minutes, no commitment required. The goal of the call is to understand the project and give you a realistic scope and price. If the project is not a good fit, you will be told that directly — with a suggestion of what might be more appropriate.
What is included
QC, processing, analysis, visualisation, interpretation, reproducible code, and a written report. Deliverables are documented and structured for independent reproduction. Optional extras — such as additional figure formats, extended methods sections, or regulatory-ready reporting — are scoped separately.
Urgency and turnaround
Standard timelines are two to eight weeks. Urgent projects with compressed deadlines can be accommodated at a premium. Urgency pricing reflects the opportunity cost of re-prioritising other work, not arbitrary fees.
Common questions
- How are projects priced?
- Fixed price per project, scoped after an initial call. Price is agreed before work starts based on data volume, analysis complexity, and deliverable requirements.
- What does a scoping call cost?
- Nothing. Thirty minutes, no commitment. The goal is to understand the project and give you a realistic scope and price.
- What is included in a standard analysis project?
- QC, processing, analysis, visualisation, interpretation, reproducible code, and a written report. Optional extras — like additional figure formats or extended methods — are scoped separately.
- Do you offer retainers or ongoing support contracts?
- Not as a default. Some clients return for follow-up projects. Ongoing support can be arranged for organisations that need it, but it is scoped as individual projects.
Related pages
Every page connects to the others. Start anywhere. Find everything.
- AnswersDirect answers to the questions microbiome projects run into most. What platform to use. How much sequencing depth is enough. When to stop troubleshooting and redesign.
- ConceptsThe ideas that separate good omics projects from great ones. Compositionality. Confounding. Replication. Effect size. Each concept explained once, clearly, with real consequences.
- GlossaryPlain definitions for the terms that matter in microbiome and omics work. No inflated jargon. Each term connects to where it appears in practice.
- FAQHow long does a project take. What do you deliver. How does collaboration work. What happens after the analysis. Answered directly.
- WorkflowsHow Microbiome Design projects work from start to finish. Scope. Design. Deliver. Interpret. Each phase has a clear input, output, and decision point.
- DocumentationReproducible analysis standards and handover documentation for every project. You keep full records of what was done, why, and how to reproduce it.
- Who We Work WithAcademic research groups, biotech and startup teams, and environmental or industrial projects working on microbial systems, biodegradation, wastewater, or circular bioeconomy challenges. UK-first, with selected Europe and US collaborations.
- ReviewsWhat research teams and biotech companies say after working with Microbiome Design. Real projects. Real outcomes.