Frequently asked questions

How do I ask for analysis, what is the general process?

Simply contact us (by email at contact@nexco.ch or phone at +41 76 509 73 73) to describe your needs. We will then come back to you with an analysis proposal, cost and time estimate and, depending on the complexity of the analyses, set up a kick-off meeting. We will prepare a contract and NDA (if needed), and proceed with the analyses. We will send you a detailed report and organize a meeting to discuss the outcomes and potential follow-ups.

Can I get a free estimate for my bioinformatics project?

Of course! We will provide you with an estimate with detailed price information on each involved task, together with an overall time estimate.

How is the cost estimated? Do you have discounts?

We have standard price estimates based on the kind and amount of data and the complexity of the required analyses. Yes, we have academic discounts of 15%. We also have a 3 months first client discount of 15% that is added to the previous discount.

How do I receive the results?

We provide a detailed report with quality controls, publication ready plots with statistics, results tables and publication ready methods. We then set up a meeting to discuss the results and the possibilities for further analyses to answer your scientific questions.

Is the costs higher than hiring an in-house bioinformatician?

No. Our services are actually cheaper than hiring an in-house bioinformatician or data analyst. Most of the analyses we are asked to do, we have done many times before. For years, we have refined our pipeline and we can adapt it to fit your need promptly. That, together with the fact of using powerful computational clusters and optimized methodology shortens turnover time and costs.

What is the advantage of outsourcing in contrast to having my in-house bioinformatician?

Increase/decrease analytical power at your needs

Lower cost

No need to take care of computational infrastructure

You might not have enough analyses for a full time bioinformatician

Benefit from an experienced team composed of multiple bioinformaticians and data analysts.

Gain flexibility with the freedom to end contracts at any time

Shorter turnover times

Long term safe data storage

Continuity. Don’t run the risk of the person responsible of your analyses leaving

What is the disadvantage of outsourcing in contrast to having my in-house bioinformatician?

If your in-house bioinformatician has strong soft skills and is good at explaining methodology, s/he can increase the overall analytical knowledge of your team. An in-house data analyst will also be more accessible for small routine tasks as opposed to contacting an outsourced company.

Can you provide analyses adapted to my needs?

Yes, that is our specialty. We will first do our best to understand your needs and only then we will, together with you, find the optimal analytical approach.

Is your team able to understand my Science and propose hypotheses and potential new analyses?

Yes, that is why we believe it is important to not only have data analysts in our team, but also have biologists and field experts. Understanding our clients Science is key to providing the best possible results.

How does the communication happen?

This is very variable. We adapt depending on the customer. Some prefer to meet more than others. In any case, we are available for the meetings you need. We propose to have a short kick-off meeting to better understand your needs. We also like to explain results and interpret them together with our customers, to then brain storm about possible new directions.

How standard is your methodology? Do you use state of the art techniques?

We use state of the art techniques and can use new ones still to appear, also the ones you might prefer or suggest.

Can you use my software and tools of choice?

Yes, we can use any tool you prefer us to use, we adapt do your needs.

What happens if there are problems with the data?

It depends on the problem. In any case, we always run extensive quality controls over the data. These together with our analysts’ expertise allows us to detect data issues early. We then immediately contact you for finding the best solutions. We often manage to deal with data related issues by applying the adequate corrections.

What are the turnaround times?

Turnaround times depend on the kind of experiment and amount of data. We can ensure your project will not be queueing, we will rather take care of it as soon as you give us the green light to start. We will keep you posted on any progress made. Please contact us with some detail of your specific project to receive an estimate of both cost and turnaround time.

What is the cost? How is it calculated?

Cost is relative to the kind of experiment and amount of data. Please contact us with some detail of your specific project to receive an estimate of both cost and turnaround time.

Will you help me to interpret the results? To which extend?

Yes, we will explain the results and help in the interpretation of biology and methodology. We believe in a collaborative work and will ensure the good understanding of the analyses we provide by answering all your questions.

Will I receive detailed method descriptions?

Yes, you will receive publication ready method descriptions. You can also contact us in the future for any clarification or to validate the final methods you include in your scientific manuscripts.

What about the follow-up? Do you help me once the project is finished? Would you help with reviewers’ questions?

Yes, we will help with any follow-up you need. If these are small tasks, we will do at no cost. More complicated tasks may include an additional cost which will be discussed at the time.

Can you implement new techniques or help us with it?

We have been implementing new techniques for the last 15 years. We started with two color microarrays (as old as that may sound) and currently doing cutting edge single cell spatial transcriptomics. We have the knowledge to understand and implement any new method.

What about authorship? Do you need/expect to be in our papers?

No, we do not require authorship on papers. We are happy if so but there is no need. However, we need to be mentioned in the manuscript’s methods.

What about data security? Where do you store and process the data? Are those servers certified?

Our storage and computation providers are located in Switzerland and therefore follow the strict swiss laws. They have GDPR and HIPAA certifications.

What about confidentiality? What kind of confidentiality agreement do have?

We always sign NDA agreements with our customers prior to receiving any data.