Working Group on Scientific Core Resources University of Wisconsin-Madison May 27, 2015

1. Working Group on Scientific Core Resources University of Wisconsin-MadisonMay 27, 2015

2. Definition of cores… Cores are centralized, shared research resources that provide access to instruments, technologies, services, as well as expert consultation and other services to scientific and clinical investigators. The typical core facility is a discrete unitwithin the institution and may have dedicated personnel, equipment, and space for operations. In general, core facilities recover their costs, or a portion of their costs,in the form of user fees that are charged to an investigator’s funds, often federal grants.

3. Benchmarking and Best Practices Cores at peer institutions: • Cornell University • University of California-Davis • University of California-San Francisco • University of Chicago • University of Michigan • Vanderbilt University

4. Insert Michigan, Vanderbilt or Cornell landing page here. Perhaps, we should include Cornell and either Michigan or Vandy

6. Goals for UW-Madison cores: • Effectiveness • Efficiency • Financial Sustainability

7. Recommendations • Establish centralized website for campus cores: comprehensive inventory of cores links to all campus cores guidelines for core development and review • Cross-campus coordination of participating cores • Standardized operating principles and practices • Life cycle management: establish, evaluate periodically, sun-set • Explore and develop options for core subsidies

8. Proposal for Cross-Campus Coordination of Research Cores UAG Core 1 Cluster Coordination Committee 1 UAG Core 2 Office of Campus Research Cores & Advisory Committee VCRGE UAG Core 1 Cluster Coordination Committee X UAG Core 2 UAG Stand Alone Core 1 UAG Stand Alone Core X UAG – User Advisory Group

9. Cores Across Campus

10. Lifecycle of a Core Scientific Research Facility Draft as of May 26, 2015 This illustrates a general approach for managing cores used by peers we contacted • Mission and goals • Scientific need and campus impact • Viability of business model • Acquisition, management, and associated costs • Redundancy avoidance • Regulatory compliance • Plan for customer management, recruiting and marketing • Day-to-day decisions remain at the local level • Core Director submits an annual report • Each core is associated with a User Advisory Group • Regulatory compliance • Operational sustainability • Opportunity to merge cores • Cross-core impacts (synergies harmful competition, etc...) • Core cluster assignment • Opportunity for new revenue • Expansion planning • Sunset planning • Assess gaps – is there a need to create a new core? • Core Directors will develop thoughtful exit strategies early in the core lifecycle; triggering factors include: • Reduced user demand • Inability to sustain funding • Reduced scientific need • Obsolescence Filename: Core_Facility_Lifecycle_05262015

11. Benefits of implementation • Effectiveness • readily accessible information re campus cores • defined processes to facilitate local decision making concerning phases of the core life cycle • scientific synergies through collaboration • Efficiency • reduced redundancy • sun-setting of unneeded cores • Sustainability – cost savings, increased revenue generation – best practices in operations, management • range of methodologies for subsidization • increased utilization by internal and external users

12. Implementation • Appoint Campus Cores leadership • Create UW Scientific Cores website: • core inventory with links to core websites • library of forms for use in management of cores, including required reports • Appoint an implementation team, i.e., the Campus Cores Advisory Committee (CCAC) • complete comprehensive listing of campus cores • establish committee operating procedures

13. Discussion • Leadership of CCAC • Coordination of core activities • CCAC • Cluster Advisory Committees • VCRGE oversight of cores, with CCAC advice • lifecycle management • resources for technology advancement • selection of proposals for federal funding • Core financial subsidy examples • Communicating and implementing WG recommendations