Bill,
 One starting point I recommend  for information on space allocation in
 biomedical research organizations is a document entitled "Space Planning and
 Management in Academic Medical Centers - Issues, Models and Resources" by the
 American Association of Medical Schools (April 1991, Editor - Janet Froom).
 Janets' e-mail address is
xxxxxx@aamc.org.  Please feel free to tell her I refered you to her for the
 documents.  Lots of experiences and resources between the covers.  The document
 was prepared jointly by the AAMC Group on Institutional Planning and the Group
 on Business Affairs.   A related document, "Strategies for Change in Medical
 Schools and Teaching Hospitals" (November, 1993, AAMC) has major sections
 devoted to Research Facilities and Equipment; Space Allocation and Management;
 and Productivity Analysis.  Both documents provide mini-case histories and
 institutional  contacts relating to space redevelopment, construction, and/or
 space allocation.  I would encourage you to call any of the contacts or authors
 noted.  They're all quite willing to share their experiences.

 For many years Washington University has used an approach referenced as
 the Resource Allocation Model System or RAMS  (not to be confused with the
 FIE/Federal Information Exchange's sponsor research product of similar name).
 The RAMS approach  blends a variety of financial and productivity measures with
 space  (square footage as the metric). While local circumstances usually
 dictate how space allocation decision are made, the type of information used in
 the Washington Univesity approach give the dicussion a quanitative flavor.  Tom
 Sondergregger is one of the key people in this arena at Washington University.
 Thomas Higerd (in the Dean' Office) at the Medical University of  South
 Carolina and David O'Brien (Director of Facilities Planning) at Stanford
 University  Medical  School are also terrific resources with regard to  data
 and methods in space allocation and productivity analysis.

 At Baylor College of Medicine, the Office of Research plays a key role in
 research space issues and discussions.  In concert with our Physical Plant
 office we're bringing together infromation on specific space assigned (by
 location and square footage) with the number and amount of grants.  These
 provide the building blocks to begin comparing departmental productivity.
 Questions of allocation of space in an almost completed research building, have
 been addressed to a committee of senior faculty members chaired by the VP and
 Dean for Research.  The issues dealt with by a group of this nature are usually
 broad policy not specific as may be the case in reallocation or modification to
 existing assignment.

 My personal observations from looking at several medical schools are
 that space decisions are best made by a central figure at arms length from the
 Dean or President....define a space czar and support them with data and perhaps
 a very small committee of senior faculty.  Report broadly and often the
 distribution of space and productivity in an effort to dispell fiction and
 mythology from the facts. Share data openly.

Difficult issue.  Good luck.

David D. Pinter
Executive Director, Office of Research and
Special Assistant for Institutional Planning,
Office of the President
 Baylor College of Medicine
 Office of Research, Room S103
 One Baylor Plaza
 Houston, TX 77030

Voice: (713) 798-6970 or 798-4430
FAX:  (713) 798-6990
Internet: xxxxxx@bcm.tmc.edu
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>>At 05:31 PM 8/16/96 -0400, Research Administration Discussion Group wrote:
>>*|A number of  space related issues have become apparent as Portland State is
>>*|successful in bringing in additional research activity.  I would appreciate
>>*|hearing from
>>*|coleagues around the following issues:
>>*|
>>*|How is space allocated for research projects, especially what is the
>>*|mechanism
>>*|for reassignment of space?
>>*|Are there policies or principles governing the allocation of space?
>>*|What role does the research office play in implementing policies or
>>*|reassigning space?
>>*|Thanks in advance for all assistance / advice
>>*|
>>*|Bill Feyerherm, Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects
>>*|Portland State University
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