All Members Community

 View Only

  • 1.  Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 10-24-2025 13:22

    Good afternoon! 

    I'm in the process of updating our Rate Setting Templates and would welcome any input on templates from other Institutions.   Would you be willing to share?

    Thank you! 



    ------------------------------
    Susanna Perkins
    Exec Director, Research Facilities
    Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    Worcester, MA
    508 831 6577
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 10-27-2025 08:33
      |   view attached
    Hi Susan,
    I have attached the rate setting template I inherited. Can you please share the ones you receive from others. I might want to update the one I use.
    @Ken Schoppmann we could probably share them on the ABRF website, if they are not already there.
    Thanks,
    Shekhar

    Shekhar Patil, PhD
    Senior Director, Shared Research Resources and Core Administration
    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
    Email: Shekhar.Patil@mssm.edu
    Phone: (212) 241-0704


    Attachment(s)

    xlsx
    ISMMS Cores_Rate Setting_2023.xlsx   29 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 10-28-2025 08:26
    There are many resources on the Core Administrators Network page: https://abrf.org/who-we-are/board-committees/core-administrators-network/

    And we are always happy to have more Core Administrators join the group.  Reach out to Raj Uthamanthil if you are interested in joining us. Rajesh.Uthamanthil@seattlechildrens.org




    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 10-28-2025 08:52

    I am attaching the link to our website that has all of our FAQs and forms.

    Core Facilities Forms - OSP | Office of Sponsored Programs



    ------------------------------
    Meghan Kraft
    Director of Research Core Facilities
    University of North Carolina
    Chapel Hill NC
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 18 days ago
      |   view attached

    I'm attaching our rate setting template, AND I have a question:

    I'm curious if anyone uses an adjustment for lab accidents and includes that cost in their rates. We include expected costs of consumables, but I don't think we've ever considered the cost of clumsiness. Does anyone currently add that to their rates? I was considering adding on a $50 usage fee for all new users to cover the cost of accidents...



    ------------------------------
    Ian Lightcap
    Research and Facilities Program Director, Materials Characterization Facility, ND Energy
    University of Notre Dame
    Notre Dame IN
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    xlsx
    Recharge_Rate_Calculation_Template..xlsx   56 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 17 days ago
    Hi Ian,

    I'd be very cautious about charging new users upfront for damage.  First, having run the facility here for 25 years I'd say it's the "older" users who cause more damage than new ones.  New ones tend to be very careful, while more experienced ones rely on their memories and forget the proper procedures.  We have actually implemented a rule within the PPMS software whereby any user who has been inactive on a given system for x months (we set that differently for different scopes - but somewhere between 3 and 6) is deactivated on that system and unable to book without checking in with us again.  Sometimes we make them re-take one of our multiple choice post-training tests, or we offer another brief training session.  If we know they've used it tons before and are confident in their abilities, we just reactivate them immediately.  But we have certainly found that this reduces damage.
    Also, I have a rule that we will never charge or yell at anybody who tells us that they damaged something.  Hopefully this encourages them to come forward and tell us if they fear they've caused damage, which is much better than finding it after the fact as a nasty shock. 

    In all honesty, almost every time we have a damaged objective it's been because of motorized stages and turrets.  It's hard to blame the users for that.

    That's just my 2 cents.  Oh and our charges are all up on our website for anybody to see, though obviously, being in NYC they're probably not the cheapest. ��

    Good luck!
    Alison

    Alison J. North, Ph.D.
    Senior Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center and Research Associate Professor
    The Rockefeller University
    1230 York Avenue
    New York
    NY 10065
    Tel. 212 327 7488 (office - direct line)
    RRID:SCR_017791



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 17 days ago
    Hi Ian,

    Alison had a very good response.  I also oversee a microscopy core.  We don't charge any kind of fee for new users (even our initial training is free), and it's some of the "experienced users" whom I have to keep my eye on.  I also pay attention to users who receive training, then disappear for months without returning.  I don't trust them to remember the training, so at times, I require them to go through training a second time.  I try to check in on all users from time to time, but especially the ones who are infrequent users.  Unfortunately, many of these same people like to work overnights, when I am not around.

    We do have some stipulations in our user agreement about damage to equipment and theft.  Privileges can be suspended until retraining occurs due to damage.  I charge a fee if someone tries to "borrow supplies".  I used to have a couple of faculty core directors who liked to borrow air cylinders from my core facility when they ran out in their personal research labs.  Now that there's a $50 daily fee, it doesn't happen anymore.  I was really hoping to bump up my revenue.

    Hope that helps.

    Anthony

    Anthony S. Stender, Ph.D. 

    Microscopy Core Manager

    Creighton University




    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 15 days ago

    Ian-

    I concur with Natasha.  Also if there is damage directly attributable to an individual's negligence, we require retraining on the equipment and the lab is charged a retraining fee.  If the user has additional failures, we can block their ability to schedule the equipment independently and move them into a higher priced tier of "assisted access".

    Good Luck!



    ------------------------------
    Michelle Winter
    Assistant Dean of Core Operations
    University of Kansas Medical Center
    Kansas City KS
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Rate Setting Templates

    Posted 16 days ago

    Hi Ian,

      We build the cost of accidental damage into our rates, but as an overall cost to the core, in our "repairs to equipment" line. We do have a policy that if there is demonstrated negligence the user/PI may be asked to cover or contribute to the cost of repair, but we have almost never invoked it. In practice, the first time something happens we discuss it with the user, and if it happens again we discuss it with the student's faculty mentor. A dressing down by their PI usually works wonders in getting users to be more respectful and careful.



    ------------------------------
    Natasha Nikolaidis
    Associate Director of Operations
    Purdue University
    West Lafayette IN
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content