Many, if not most of the research in life science depends on the availability of and access to resources, like advanced technologies, databases, sophisticated instrumentation, and the expertise for proper operation. The interdisciplinary approach to address current topics in life science needs interaction, that should not be hampered by technical, scientific nor institutional boundaries. The complexity of operation has therefore promoted the aggregation of these technologies into core facilities, that are at the heart of a Life Science Technology Campus here in Bonn.
Core Facilities provide all researchers access to state of the art instrumentation and assure an easy and structured way to do so. However, cutting edge instrumentation does not guarantee high quality research. Adequate quality controls, system performance tracking, experience with the experimental methods as well as assistance in data interpretation are therefore indispensable components of a Core Facility. Consulting and training is important for regular as well as novice users and the expertise of the resource staff is essential for that.
Shared Resources usually have a professional management, user guide lines, access policies and a cost recovery model to ensure they continue to meet the needs of their users.
The will bring this vision to reality through accomplishing the following goals:
- Promote and develop best practices for core facility operations at UC Davis
- Establish transparent processes to make well-informed decisions for strategic investments in scientific core facilities
- Identify Campus Research Core Facilities (CRCFs) as centers of excellence that set standards for best practices in facility management and operations.
- Implement a broadly-accessible software tool to optimize facility operation and financial management.
- Provide a dynamic inventory of shared campus resources through a searchable database.