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Information on the offices involved with core facility advocacy, support, and oversight.

Office of Sponsored Research

The Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) Cost Analysis and Compliance Office performs the institutional review, approval and oversight function that allows research service center facilities to charge fees for services. Rate reviews are conducted on a biannual basis and the cost analysts work closely with other core support personnel to ensure rate reviews are accurate and timely.

The OSR Industry Contracting Office assists cores in developing contracts with external academic and industry partners. These agreements must be in place prior to any billing events.

Rate review documents, documents relating to Tableau core financial reports, and guidance for working with external clients can be found on the Research Core Development website.

The Office of Sponsored Programs also houses the Director of Research Core Development, Ben Wright. Ben provides assistance for cores throughout all schools on campus in financial reporting, rate reviews, iLab operations, and core operations.

Research Core Development Team: RCD@unc.edu

Ben Wright: bwright1@email.unc.edu

Office of Research Technologies

The Office of Research Technologies (ORT) provides operational support to the University’s biomedical core facilities, and serves as a resource for investigators needing information and access to general and specialized scientific instrumentation and services available from our core facilities. While our primary mission is to serve the School of Medicine, we continue to have an open door policy in providing operational assistance to cores across the different schools at UNC Chapel Hill.

ORT Services:

  • Assistance with Operational Infrastructure
    ORT assists core facilities deal with a range of operational needs; application process for new recharge service centers as well as rate revisions for existing cores, survey design and distribution, including customer satisfaction surveys which provide valuable feedback to core directors, and identification of laboratory, information, and management systems which may be useful tools for increasing core efficiency.
  • Core Performance and Continuous Improvement
    ORT offers trainings for cores on achieving operational excellence: process improvement workshops, customer service and communication, SWOT analysis, and other business skills activities can be requested as general presentations as well as workshops tailored for an individual facility.
  • Increasing Core Visibility
    ORT strives to increase awareness and usage of our core facilities through development of promotional materials, maintaining the core facilities website, website design and maintenance for core facilities, and events highlighting core facilities.
  • Education and Training
    ORT organizes and assists with educational workshops and forums which focus on introducing core users to new technologies, as well as training and information for core directors.
  • Advocacy
    ORT is engaged in a continuing conversation with Office of Sponsored Research, School of Medicine Office of Research, and other Institutional Offices to develop, disseminate and implement policies and guidelines affecting core facilities.

Office of Research Technologies Inbox: corefacilities@med.unc.edu

Chris Gregory: Director, Office of Research Technologies:: christopher_gregory@med.unc.edu

Kara Clissold: Associate Director, Office of Research Technologies: kara_clissold@med.unc.edu

Core Facilities Advocacy Committee (CFAC)

The Core Facilities Advocacy Committee reports to the School of Medicine Vice Dean for Research. The committee is chaired by the Director of the Office of Research Technologies.

Reviewing the scientific and operational status of cores is a major function of the committee. The committee includes faculty members chosen for their expertise in specific categories of technology and for their interest in strengthening core facilities at UNC. Current categories, each advocating for multiple cores, include 1) Animal Models and Phenotyping, 2) Biochemistry, 3) Clinical/Translational, 4) Genomics and 5) Imaging. Committee members work directly with core facility directors to evaluate and recommend upgrading of technology and to ensure high-quality services and user satisfaction. The committee reviews funding requests and makes recommendations for expenditures for core facilities, including the purchase of new equipment, method development projects, and emergency funding requests.

The role of CFAC includes advising the Vice Dean of Research on equipment needs and funding development of new core facility technologies, space allocation, and the expansion, sunsetting, and consolidation of existing cores.

CFAC Guidelines for Initiating Changes/Funding for Core Facilities