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Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

  • 1.  Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    Good morning all - 

    I'd like to initiate a discussion on how any Institutions either have started, or have plans to implement, Core credits for use in facilities replacing equipment purchases in new recruit start-up packages.   If your Institution has already done this - how did you implement it/any guidelines for dollar amounts, etc.    How was this change received and would you deem it successful? 

    Thank you for any input!    



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


  • 2.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    Hi Everyone,

     

    I am also interested in learning more about this. Several burning questions for me are:

     

    • How did you get institutional, college, and departmental buy-in?
    • How do you determine how much is allocated to each recipient, and how long do they have to spend the funds?
    • What are the usage/access rules? (I think this one is easiest, but I would like to hear thoughts from others)

     

    Best,

     

    Joe

     

    -----

     

    Joe Dragavon
     
    Director, Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation

       Research and Innovation Office
    Director, Advanced Light Microscopy Core 

       BioFrontiers Institute

    JSCBB C315

    Teams/Office: 303.735.6988
    Cell: 720.934.2933
    University of Colorado Boulder
     

    Arrange a Consultation or a Meeting: 43ec276be94b4ad5bdb7519f84eda1dc@colorado.edu?anonymous&ep=plink" title="https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/43ec276be94b4ad5bdb7519f84eda1dc@colorado.edu?anonymous&ep=plink">Click Here

    Website: https://advancedimaging.colorado.edu/
    Need an Instrument?:
    https://www.colorado.edu/sharedinstrumentation/core-facilities-collections 

     






  • 3.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    I am also very interested in this! This is something we want our startups to move to instead of saying they are buying the faculty member a $500K microscope and putting it in the core and giving them priority access.



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



  • 4.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    I'm interested as well as we have discussed this a few times and not been able to get it off the ground.  One strategy we considered was leveraging federal funds from Centers/COBREs as these units tend to have a defined pool of funds that can be used to support instrumentation and "core coupons" as long as the recruit has a project that aligns with the research theme of the Center.  In this case the availability of the funds would be dependent (at a minimum) on the timing of the Center grant funding/renewal limitations.



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



  • 5.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    All - given that there are several of us interested in this topic, I'm happy to arrange a zoom meeting so we can all chat.    I'll give this thread another couple days to see who else might want to join and then reach out for a mutually convenient day/time.    



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



  • 6.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 8 days ago

    Hello all - I am also interested in this topic. I think we likely need to involve or work together to engage our Deans and department chairs. I have had discussions with department chairs (granted it was prior to Jan 2025) who tell me that they can not afford to try to control a faculty member startup package in a way that would make Duke less competitive. I have suggested to faculty and chairs and discussed with admins who are involved with core management that the institution should be offering core facility credits or vouchers, but it didn't get very far. Perhaps I (and we) should start bringing up this topic again with appropriate institutional officials. It would be great to collaborate on this and hear from different people who are in different positions in their institution. I can try to suggest that my institution core management office assistant dean consider attending a meeting that we may have. I would be interested in meeting after Jan 21 (due to a personal busy sched until then). Thank you, Lisa  

    Lisa Cameron

    Director, Light Microscopy Core Facility
    Duke University and Duke University Medical Center

    Iisa.cameron@duke.edu



    ------------------------------
    Lisa Cameron
    Director, Light Microscopy Core Facility
    Duke University
    Durham NC
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    All,
    I brought this subject up with the Cores Executive Oversight Board (EOB) at my institution and got a similar response to Lisa at Duke. The disconnect for MCW leadership was that if the equipment went into the core it was no longer part of the start-up package. They therefore felt that it would increase the investment to remain competitive. It would be great to collaborate to know the best way to pitch the idea to Department Chairs and senior leadership so that they see it is a win-win.
    Did you all see the great paper about the UNC at Chapel Hill SOM voucher system in JBT? I realize this is a little different but I like it for junior faculty with grants close to fundable where some data generated by the cores might help. However, I have never had a revenue source for vouchers.  I'm now considering suggesting that we repurpose some of our core equipment money to a voucher system. Wondering what the objections to this idea might be.
    Thank you, everyone.
    Janette



    ------------------------------
    Janette Lamb
    Institutional Research Cores Program Director
    Medical College of Wisconsin
    Wisconsin WI
    jlamb@mcw.edu
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago
    Hi all,

    Please include me in your list!

    Thanks!

    Elizabeth Hudson
    Assistant Director
    UofL Sequencing Technology Center
    319 Abraham Flexner Way
    HSC-A Room 601
    Louisville, KY 40202

    (502) 852-4996






  • 9.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago
    Hi Susana,
    Please  include me in the zoom call as well.
    Regards
    Sridar

    Sridar V. Chittur  BPharm, PhD, MBA
    Research Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences
    College of Integrated Health Sciences
    Director, Center for Functional Genomics, SUNY Albany

    1145 Life Sciences Research Building

    1400 Washington Avenue

    Albany NY 12222


    Tel:518-591-7215 (office)
        518-591-7219 (lab)

    http://www.albany.edu/cfg

    imageRRID:SCR_018262







  • 10.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago
    Perhaps we make this an abrf town hall?
    Sent from my iPad




  • 11.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Hi Suzanna,

       Please add me to this meeting as well! We managed to do this once with a startup package and it was very successful, but we don't have a formal program, and I'd definitely be interested in learning from others who have managed to get one launched.

       Natasha



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



  • 12.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Hi Susanna,

    May I please be included on this call?

    Thank you,

    April

    April Weakley

    Program Manager

    Office of the Dean

    Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

    Email: aweakley@pennmedicine.upenn.edu



    ------------------------------
    April Weakley
    Perelman School of Medicine Biomedical Research Core Facilities
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Hi Susanna,

     Also interested in participating in the chat. 

    Andrew



    ------------------------------
    Andrew Vinard
    Director for Research Infrastructure Support
    Tufts University
    Boston MA
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Please add me to the meeting as well. I submitted a proposal to our VPR office that detailed a policy that would fund dedicated instrument usage accounts for instruments placed in shared resource facilities from startup packages and donations. I haven't heard anything back yet.



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



  • 15.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    We have done this for a very long time at Einstein. It requires the Dean to help enforce, but I've found that in general, most of our new recruits have been very open to having equipment in a core. The upside is not having to maintain, cover the service contract cost, have an operator with expertise, pay for upgrades, etc. It's not that hard of a sell if you give them credit to use the device and priority access. We typically just give equipment use dollars in the startup package or as a separate account dedicated for use on the device depending on how our finance people want to track that. Sometimes we have language for a refresh of that support pending review of grant portfolio or progress towards a first grant if it is a junior recruit. There are cases where expensive equipment does not go into a core as well, but that is typically because there is a clear need for the investigator to have the instrument in their lab or because there isn't a large enough user base at the College that wants access to the device. In those cases, the investigator has to figure out how to keep their equipment running and updated when it ages out.



    ------------------------------
    Brian Pelowski
    Associate Dean for Research Operations & Infrastructure
    Albert Einstein College of Medicine
    Bronx NY
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    Hello all,

    This would be a timely discussion for me as our Research Office is starting to discuss this across colleges/units/departments.  VERY early in the discussion and from what I've heard, the hope is that money these  areas of the campus would spend on instrumentation within a start-up package would have the instrumentation placed in a core and new investigators would get a discount rate towards use of the instrument.  What that discount % would be is front and center of the conversation at the moment.  The length of time for the discount is also being discussed with it sunsetting in a year or two.  Please add me to a Zoom meeting if one is scheduled.

    Best,

    Randy

     

    Randy Nessler, BGS, MBA

    Central Microscopy Research Facility Director

    University of Iowa

    431 Newton Road

    EMRB Room 81

    Iowa City, Iowa 52242

    Phone 319-335-8143

    https://cmrf.research.uiowa.edu/

     

     






  • 17.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    Hi all,

    I would very much like to join in on this discussion too please!  I don't need to add any more specific questions at this point as I think they've all been included in other posts here, but I'd like to be included on the zoom meeting.

    Thanks!

    Alison



    ------------------------------
    Alison North
    Senior Director, Bio-Imaging Resource Center
    The Rockefeller University
    New York NY
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago
    Just FYI, I should add one point - I've been told that while running the Crick Institute in London, Paul Nurse introduced a policy that no new faculty were allowed to purchase their own microscopes (unless maybe a basic one?  that I don't know) until they had used the core microscopes for a full 2 years.  It seems to me that by this method, not only did it increase the visibility and use of the core, but it ensured that by the time faculty were allowed to purchase their own systems, they were 100% sure of what would work best for them.  Brilliant!  I hope I'm 100% factually correct on this but am ready to be stand corrected if not of course.  I don't know anything about whether they were also issued vouchers or anything...
    Best,
    Alison


    ------------------------------
    Alison North
    Senior Director, Bio-Imaging Resource Center
    The Rockefeller University
    New York NY
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    Hi everyone,

       I would also like to be added to this call. Fortunately, our core program at Montana State University is centralized and we have our VPR's buy-in already. As the director of the cores, I am added to new faculty equipment proposals and can flag duplicative equipment so that at least a conversation with the faculty can be initiated. We recently had a new faculty member request a mass spectrometer that already exists in our mass spec core, and rather than fund the equipment, we've placed a certain amount for use in the core into a separate financial account that can be monitored by our core fiscal manager to ensure the money is being used for mass spec services. What we don't currently have in place is a set formula for determining how much they receive. I look forward to discussing further! 



    ------------------------------
    Mary Gauvin
    RED Service Centers Director - Core Facilities
    Montana State University
    Bozeman MT
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    I would like to join. We have done this on ad hoc basis in the past and I would greatly prefer a policy, especially one that also in place at other institutions.

    Best,

    Amy Wilkerson

    The Rockefeller University



    ------------------------------
    Amy Wilkerson
    Associate Vice President
    The Rockefeller University
    New York NY
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 7 days ago

    I am interested in joining the Zoom meeting. I think our biggest challenge would be getting all the colleges/departments on the same page. I'd also like someone from our Research office to attend if possible.

    Best,
    Kelly



    ------------------------------
    Kelly Sides
    Director, Genomic Science Lab
    North Carolina State University
    Raleigh, NC
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 6 days ago
    Hello Susanna,

    Please add me to any list of interested participants you are creating for this topic. I've also had largely unsuccessful discussions with faculty on this topic, with results very similar to what Lisa Cameron at Duke mentioned in her message. 

    Thanks to all for a great discussion thread!

    Andrea

    Andrea L. Stout, Ph. D.
    Director,  CDB Microscopy Core Facility
    Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
    1107 BRB 2/3
    421 Curie Boulevard
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

    pronouns: she/her

    phone: 215-573-3942

    email: astout@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
    web:
    https://www.med.upenn.edu/cdbmicroscopycore/

     






  • 23.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 5 days ago
    Hi Susanna,
    Add me to the list. We have done some of that already and I would like to hear how others do it too

    Thanks
    Marimar




  • 24.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago
    Happy to be part of the discussion. In addition to funding agreements, we have also prioritized grant slots for limited submissions and cost shares on grants for equipment to go into cores. Biggest thing is that offices work together early in the process. On that front, I never turn down a tour request for perspective faculty.

    Andy

    Andrew Ott (he/him/his)

     

    Director of Core Facilities Administration

    Office for Research

    Northwestern University

    633 Clark Street

    Evanston, IL 60208-3113

     

    ph: 847-467-1622

    email: a-ott@northwestern.edu

     

     

     

     

     






  • 25.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago
    Hi,
    I just want my name added to the list if there is a meeting.  We have had preliminary discussions on this topic, but not very serious ones.  Many of the points made in this thread are common themes I have also heard or experienced, at least in regards to "buy in" and introducing junior faculty to core facilities.

    Thanks!
    Anthony

    Anthony S. Stender, Ph.D. 

    Microscopy Core Manager

    Creighton University






  • 26.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 5 days ago

    The Northwestern voucher program for faculty purchased equipment placed into cores was described in this JBP paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30140172/

    There were also some added on aspects at NU Med School, which as Brian from Einstein correctly stated very much required Dean's leadership/support.

    Happy to discuss further - please add me to whatever form meeting might take.

    Thanks!
    Josh



    ------------------------------
    Joshua Rappoport
    Executive Director, Research Infrastructure & Operations
    Boston College
    Natick MA
    ------------------------------



  • 27.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 5 days ago

    I am also interested in learning more about this. If there is a zoom meeting, I would be interested in attending. Thanks!

    Janet



    ------------------------------
    Janet Williams
    Director / Sr Research Scientist
    University of Idaho
    Moscow ID
    janetw@uidaho.edu
    ------------------------------



  • 28.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    I'm also interested in the topic, would be happy to join a discussion if there is one planned.

    Best,

    Tami



    ------------------------------
    Tami Magnus
    Executive Director
    Cornell University, Institute of Biotechnology
    Ithaca NY
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Hi all,

    I would also like to attend.

    Thanks!

    Michele Hayward, RD, ACRP-CP (she/her)

    Director, Office of Genomics Research

    5106 Marsico Hall

    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill



    ------------------------------
    Michele Hayward
    Director
    University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
    Chapel Hill NC
    ------------------------------



  • 30.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago
    Edited by Ramiro Ramirez-Solis 4 days ago

    Hi Susanna,

    I am also very interested in this topic. Please add me to the meeting.

    Looking forward to the conversation,

    Ramiro

    utsa.edu

     



    ------------------------------
    Ramiro Ramirez-Solis
    Director, Research Core Facilities
    The University of Texas at San Antonio
    San Antonio TX
    ------------------------------



  • 31.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 4 days ago

    Great topic Sussana! Let's keep the conversation going, this is very important. We were able to do it at my institution for one instrument, but it required a big effort from the hiring department chair and conversations with the VPR and Provost office.



    ------------------------------
    Sandra Cardona
    Director I of Research Core Facility
    University of Texas at San Antonio
    San Antonio TX
    ------------------------------



  • 32.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 3 days ago

    I would also like to be included in this if there is a Zoom meeting / any follow-up!  We do some of this at UMass Amherst, but there is no formal policy that I am aware of, and it would be great to have one in place. 

    Thanks,
    Emily



    ------------------------------
    Emily Scagel
    Director, Finance & Operations
    UMass Amherst - The Institute for Applied Life Sciences
    ------------------------------



  • 33.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 3 days ago
    Edited by Susanna Perkins 3 days ago

    Thank you all for the overwhelming interest!    Based on these responses, we are going to turn this topic into an Ad Hoc ABRF Town Hall rather than try and coordinate a zoom with all of you.    In this way, it will be available to all ABRF.   The planned format is to have a few of the respondents who have implemented a system or part of a system to speak on their experiences and then a discussion on questions from all of you.   So, please feel free to send me any specifics that you might like to see discussed.    Please watch your communication from ABRF for the day/time!   

    There also may be an in-person follow-on in Pittsburgh, so more info to come! 



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



  • 34.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 3 days ago

    Please add me to the discussion as well--we've been brainstorming ways to "package" this for departments and would love to hear other ideas. 



    ------------------------------
    Kara Clissold
    Associate Director
    University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
    Chapel Hill NC
    ------------------------------



  • 35.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 3 days ago

    This is obviously topical for many insitutions!  We're also looking voucher schemes / core credits, so please count me in for any discussions.



    ------------------------------
    Dr Sarah McAtamney
    Senior Research Infrastructure Officer
    Griffith University
    Queensland, Australia
    ------------------------------



  • 36.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 2 days ago

    Please add me as well. Since we are appointing professors centrally, we do not want to provide professors with research equipment during appointment interviews, but rather with appropriate measurement times in our core facilities. We are currently looking for a concept to implement this.  

    Thank you in advance

    Christian



    ------------------------------
    Christian Riese
    Assistent to the Vice President for Scientific Research
    Justus Liebig University Giessen
    Giessen
    Germany
    ------------------------------



  • 37.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 2 days ago
    Please add me to the group as well. University of Nebraska Lincoln is also looking into this. Thank you.
    Anjeza 





  • 38.  RE: Start-Up Packages with Core Facility Credits

    Posted 2 days ago
    Maybe if all the universities start implementing this at once, the "unable to compete during recruitment" argument will go away... �� 

    Kara Clissold
    Associate Director
    Office of Research Technologies
    (M) (410)322-5093

    ed6f9216b8464a158f14311236f94eec@med.unc.edu?anonymous&ismsaljsauthenabled&ep=owaSlotsEmailSignature">
    ed6f9216b8464a158f14311236f94eec@med.unc.edu?anonymous&ismsaljsauthenabled&ep=owaSlotsEmailSignature">Book time to meet with me