Core Administrators Network Coordinating Committee (CAN-CC)

Quick recap

The team discussed strategies for managing potential indirect cost cuts and increasing efficiency in research institutions, including reorganizing and consolidating shared facilities. They also planned for an upcoming meeting session focused on core facilities, deciding to have different table topics with standardized questions for participants. Lastly, they discussed plans for collecting feedback at an upcoming conference session, deciding to use Slido for anonymous input and recruiting moderators for small group discussions.

Next steps

• Andrew to copy and paste the discussion topics and share them with the group by end of day.

• Nicole to draft a protocol for the focus group session and share with the team.

• Ken to create a Google Doc for volunteer moderator sign-ups and share with the team.

• All team members to recruit colleagues as potential moderators and have them sign up on the Google Doc.

• Jeetendra to create sample Slido slides with demographic questions and share with the team by end of day tomorrow.

• Ken to check Rajesh's access to meeting notes and invitations.

• All team members to attend Nicole's training session next Thursday at the same time.

• Ken to set up Slido for the ABRF session and coordinate with Jeetendra on implementation.

• Roxann to post a question on the ABRF app social wall to start a conversation about core facility concerns.

• All team members to review and refine Jeetendra's Slido slides before next week's meeting.

Summary

Planning Roundtable Session for Conference

The team discusses using Miro or Google Docs for an upcoming roundtable session at a conference to address the value of core facilities in light of potential NIH funding cuts. They plan to have table topics for discussion and input, with Ken working on transitioning previous content to a public Miro board. Roxann suggests creating sections for each table in Miro, while Natasha proposes framing the topic with an introduction before breaking into discussions. Andy and Justine express interest in helping organize the session, which is expected to be well-attended based on feedback from a recent Town Hall.

Strategies for Cost Management in Research

The group discusses strategies to manage potential indirect cost cuts and increase efficiency in research institutions. Nicole suggests reorganizing and consolidating shared facilities to reduce duplication and save costs, citing a $4 million savings at her institution through such measures. The conversation also touches on the decrease in animal research and the need to streamline processes and centralize services. Andy shares his institution's experience of integrating genomics labs without cutting jobs. The group acknowledges the challenges of implementing these changes, particularly when dealing with departmental resistance and the need for institutional policies to support consolidation efforts. Nicole emphasizes the importance of change management and fostering a team player culture to navigate difficult decisions and crucial conversations during this process.

Facilities Meeting Planning and Data Collection

The group discusses plans for an upcoming meeting session focused on core facilities. They decide to have different table topics with standardized questions for participants to address. Nicole offers to provide a brief training on community engagement research methods to ensure consistent data collection across tables. The group emphasizes the importance of gathering input on various aspects like external revenue generation, consolidation, and outsourcing while being sensitive about identifying specific institutions. They aim to compile the information gathered into a valuable resource for other institutions, potentially leading to a written report. The discussion also touches on the challenges of scaling back certain core services and exploring collaborative opportunities between institutions.

Plenary Session Structure and Table Discussions

Nicole proposes a structure for the 75-minute plenary session involving table discussions. The group decides to have 8 topics spread across 24 tables, with 3 tables discussing each topic. They plan to use Slido for capturing responses and will not have a report-out session. Instead of rotating participants, they will rotate questions at each table. The group discusses the need for moderators and note-takers, with Andrew suggesting they can find enough people to fill these roles. They agree to finalize the topics and prepare questions for each, with Nicole offering to draft 3-5 questions per topic. The session will likely consist of two 25-minute table discussions, leaving time for housekeeping at the beginning.

Planning Conference Session Feedback Mechanism

The group discusses plans for collecting feedback at an upcoming conference session. They decide to use Slido for anonymous input and agree to recruit and train moderators for small group discussions. Nicole will create a protocol and open-ended questions for the discussions. They plan to collect basic demographic information about participants' roles and institutions. The group also considers ways to engage participants before and during the conference through the event app. Jeetendra will create sample slides for the session, and the team will refine them before next week's meeting.

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