Re: Core Facilities McCabe, Jeanne 25 Feb 2000 10:43 EST

Hi all!  As the Research Administrator for the University of Iowa College of
Medicine, I am administratively responsible for eight core research
facilities.  There are many issues that come up with regards to the
facilities, including those mentioned below.  I have to say that in reading
A-21, A-110 and any NIH/NSF information, I don't feel like there are really
any guidelines that are explicit enough to provide much guidance.  Based on
our experience several years ago with a federal audit on our various
recharge centers, we did establish Recharge Center policies & procedures.
The web link is:
http://www.uiowa.edu/fus/manuals/recarpo3.htm
<http://www.uiowa.edu/fus/manuals/recarpo3.htm>

However, the actual management and decision making process of core research
facilities is more complicated than any single policy can encompass, in my
opinion.  There are different services provided by each facility, and while
some tend to be relatively cost effective, many of the equipment intensive
facilities can't possibly break even and require considerable subsidization.
In the "good old days" when medical schools were able to earn profits, that
wasn't a huge issue.  With the BBA, medicare cuts and managed care issues
facing our practice plan, that is no longer the case.

So, I am quite interested in starting a dialogue, and perhaps even a
sub-group of SRA or NCURA, to discuss how different universities finance
core research facilities.  Would anyone else be interested in a sub-group?
If so, I will try to do a little investigating into how SRA/NCURA
sub-committees are formed.

Sincerely,

Jeanne McCabe
Research Administrator
University of Iowa
College of Medicine
224 CMAB
Iowa City, Iowa  52242-1101
319-353-5513
xxxxxx@uiowa.edu

 -----Original Message-----
 From:   Stephen Erickson [SMTP:xxxxxx@BC.EDU]
 Sent:   Friday, February 25, 2000 8:59 AM
 To:     xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
 Subject:        Re: Core Facilities

 Tony, these are exactly the points we are working on now with regard
to users from
 outside the university.

 We feel strongly that the internal research and instructional use of
the facilities
 has absolute priority. External users, frankly, will come last in
terms of
 scheduling. Since our facilities a located within two specific
departments, we are
 leaving it to the Depoartment Chairs to schedule facility use.

 The rate structure is difficult. We are in the process of assessing
anticipated
 costs and, in effect, coming up with perhaps a loaded hourly rate.
Unfortunately, we
 are very likely not to know exactly what an accurate rate should be
until we gather
 some experience with external users to see, for instance, what kind
of staff support
 they need etc.

 Your suggestion on the NSF/NIH programs is a good one and I will
follow up on that.

 Steve

 Anthony Boccanfuso wrote:

 > Jane:
 >
 > Good question -
 >
 > I think there are  alot of issues (both financial and
non-financial) tied up in
 > how these core research facilities operate.
 > Steve raised on of them when he mentioned whether or not these
will be made
 > available to external users.  Let me suggest several other:
 >
 > 1 - Time management - who determines who has access to these
machines?  Does
 > everyone in the department (or school or university or system..)
have the right
 > to access a facility that was purchased with state and/or federal
funds? I think
 > that this issue is becoming more prevalent especially as there is
more
 > translational research today than ever and there is a larger pool
of retired but
 > "active" faculty.
 >
 > 2 - Financial - are they going to operate as service centers?  As
you know, this
 > raises a whole host of issues.  Who determines the rate structure
?  Will
 > departments be given a certain amount of credit so they can use
the machines
 > without paying out of their operating budgets?
 >
 > 3 - Organizational - Who will these units report to?  the VPR??
the dept
 > chairs?? the deans??
 >
 > I think one really good place to look for guidance is the
operating procedures
 > for NIH and NSF shared instrumentation or core facilities.  These
centers (or
 > large equipment) must have strong policies and procedures that
address these
 > types of questions.  Perhaps someone who has one of these at their
institution
 > could provide you a copy of their P&P.
 >
 > Tony Boccanfuso
 >
 > "Youngers, Jane" <xxxxxx@UTHSCSA.EDU> on 02/24/2000 04:28:52 PM
 >
 > Please respond to Research Administration Discussion List
<xxxxxx@hrinet.org>
 > To:   xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
 > cc:
 > Subject:  Core Facilities
 >
 > Here's a new topic (I think) for the list.  We are looking at how
we might
 > better manage our existing core research facilities and develop
guidelines
 > for establishing new ones.  By core research facility, I mean a
facility
 > that provides support to many researchers on your campus.  The
classic core
 > research facility is the animal facility.  But I am not really
interested in
 > how you finance and manage that.  What I am interested in is how
you
 > identify, finance, and manage your other core facilities such as
protein
 > structure cores or DNA sequencing cores or microscopy cores.  Do
you have
 > definitions of what consistututes a core facility; how are they
typically
 > managed. how are they typically financed.  Any other guidelines or
 > policies/procedures you might have.  Just a website address would
even help.
 >
 > Thanks.
 >
 > Jane
 > Jane A. Youngers
 > Director, Grants Management
 > Mail Code 7828
 > University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
 > 7703 Floyd Curl Drive
 > San Antonio TX  78229-3900
 > phone 210.567.2333
 > fax 210.567.2344
 > email xxxxxx@uthscsa.edu
 >
 >
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 Stephen Erickson, Director
 Office of Research Administration
 Boston College
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