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Office of the Vice Provost for Research

 

GW Shared and Core Facilities

The George Washington University (GW) is home to world-class research infrastructure of shared and core facilities and service centers. This infrastructure provides state-of-the-art equipment, research space, and expert services across all disciplines, which promotes high-impact research. 

This document lays out the proposed definitions and qualifications for shared facilities and core facilities. Service centers are already governed by an established policy with a university-wide definition and list of required qualifications. 

Shared Facilities

Definition

At GW, “shared facilities” is an umbrella term that encompasses core facilities, service centers, and in some cases, a shared piece of equipment. Shared facilities are actively managed and utilized by more than one school. These facilities must be accessible to multiple disciplines. In some cases, a piece of shared equipment can be considered a shared facility if it meets the qualifications below.

To be listed as a shared facility on a centralized GW dashboard, the managing personnel of the facility or service center must submit a request to the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR).

Qualification Necessary for Listing as a Shared Facility

To be listed as a GW shared facility, certain qualifications must be met:

  • Demonstrate proof of use from more than one school. This can be done by showing some form of documentation. For example, user fees received from multiple schools or a list of users and their schools.
  • Have an identified director or manager.
  • Open and accessible to all GW researchers.
  • Follow all federal regulatory guidelines and university policies.
  • Maintain the following:
    • Updated list of users, annually
    • Publicly advertised fee schedule (if there is one)
    • A website with up-to-date contact information
    • Easily accessible scheduling apparatus
    • Posted rules and regulations that are easily accessible to users

Core Facilities

Definition 

Core facilities provide unique services, cutting-edge technologies, and special products that allow researchers to conduct high-quality, interdisciplinary research in a cost-effective manner. These benefits are offered primarily for the GW community. A core facility will have dedicated personnel, equipment, and space for operations. All core facilities and equipment operate on a pay-for-service and pay-for-access model. Each facility may have its own cost structure for each category of users and/or time period accessed.  

Most core facilities are managed as part of departmental/school infrastructure or under program projects. All core facilities must be approved as such by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR), in consultation with the Council for Research Administration (CRA) and a minimum of two members of the Faculty Senate Research Committee (FSRC), and will be listed in a core facilities directory on an OVPR centralized web location to make them accessible to the GW community.

Qualifications Necessary for Listing as a Core Facility

To be listed as a GW core facility, certain qualifications must be met:

  • Have a identified director. 
  • Open and accessible to all GW researchers.
  • Is an established GW service center; able to charge and receive reimbursements from extramural grants for service.
  • Able to support a minimum of 3 independently and federally funded investigators. 
  • Generate a minimum revenue per year for services after the first 3 years of operations 
  • Follow all federal regulatory guidelines for a federally funded core facility.
  • Follow all federal regulatory guidelines and university policies.
  • Maintain the following:
    • Updated list of core users, annually
    • Publicly advertised fee schedule
    • An annual revenue/expense report available by request
    • A website with up-to-date contact information
    • Easily accessible scheduling apparatus 

Service Center

Definition

According to the established definition found in the GW Service Centers and Recharge Centers Charging Sponsored Projects policy: “A service center is a department or other unit in the university that performs or provides, for a fee, specific technical or operational services primarily for internal users. Service centers vary in size and complexity, as well as in the costs included in their rate structures. A service center provides services to a broad range of users throughout the campus. Rates typically recover direct salaries and benefits, direct materials costs, and part or all of their associated F&A overhead costs. An example of a service center is the Animal Research Facility”.

As service centers have an already established definition, list of qualifications, and process structure there is no need to detail it in this document.