IU School of Medicine Research Core Facilities provides access to instruments, technologies, and services. Core facilities also offer expert technical and consultative services to investigators in basic science and translational research.
Research core services help researchers by providing:
High-quality services and technical support
Cost-effective access to the technology
Supporting researcher’s publications
Advancing science and grant acquisition
Research core facilities cover a wide range of services, which may include:
Consultations and training
Sample testing and processing
Data analysis
Access to specialized equipment and instrumentation
Production of preclinical models
Learn more about the IU School of Medicine Research Core Facilities on the Core Facilities Search page.
Frequently Asked Questions
IU School of Medicine core facilities are an integral component of its research enterprise. They are specialized laboratories with unique technologies, instruments, and services that are managed by scientists with deep technical expertise. Cores are operated as fee-for-service laboratories in which users pay for training, use of instruments and equipment, and specialized services. Cores also provide scientific consultations that enhance research productivity.
Indiana University School of Medicine offers the following types of research service cores.
Institutional/School cores: facilities established to support the research of multiple departments within a specific school. The use of these cores is also available to users outside of the school.
Center cores: facilities and services that support the research of faculty associated with a particular center. The use of these cores may be restricted to the faculty and staff of that center.
Departmental core facilities: facilities and services established to support the research of a narrowly defined group of investigators within a department that require the facility or services. The use of these cores may be restricted to faculty and staff of that department, or maybe made more broadly available as described for School and Center cores.
The oversight of IU School of Medicine Research Service Cores ultimately lies with the Executive Associate Dean for Research. The Institutional Cores also have additional oversight committees that play an important role in their success:
Operation Committee (OC)
Institutional Research Oversight Committee (IROC)
IU School of Medicine Core Services
Executive Associate Dean for Research (EADR)
The EADR oversees IU School of Medicine's research endeavors by administering research funding, building relationships with corporations and foundations, ensuring research integrity, overseeing human and animal research, and providing operational support to the research core facilities.
Cores Operation Committee (OC)
The Operation Committee reviews, monitors, and supports the centralized core operational performance and provides core and core leaders with policy and regulatory information, ensuring shared learning while improving accountability and transparency.
IU School of Medicine Core Services
Director:
The director of Core Services is responsible for managing the strategic, administrative, marketing, and business affairs of the centralized core facilities at IU School of Medicine. They provide strategic and operational leadership to core facility managers/technical directors/technical staff to ensure the efficient day-to-day operations of individual core facilities. They work with each of the core facility faculty advisory committees that regularly review operations, rates, advise on issues, and contribute to strategic planning, updating business plans and financial plans for each core.
Operational Infrastructure:
IU School of Medicine Core Services assist core facilities with a range of operational needs. The team processes applications for new services, equipment purchases, or new core formation; designs surveys for new service and equipment assessment; create customer satisfaction surveys, which provide valuable feedback to core directors and the IROC on core efficiency; and reviews and implements management systems that may be useful tools to increase core efficiency.
Core Visibility:
IU School of Medicine Core Services strives to increase awareness and usage of core facilities by developing promotional materials and maintaining the IU School of Medicine core website.
Education and Training:
IU School of Medicine Core Services organizes and assists with educational workshops and forums which focus on introducing core users to new technologies.
Advocacy:
IU School of Medicine Core Services engage in a continuing conversation with the IROC and the EADR to develop, disseminate, and implement policies and guidelines affecting core facilities.
The Research Administration and Finance Team (RAFT), within the IU School of Medicine Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs (EADR) and the Executive Associate Dean for Finance and Administration offices, serves as the primary contact regarding business and administrative operations of the centralized cores. The RAFT provides administrative support for the business operations of the centralized cores, including, but not limited to:
Budget
With input from the core, construct an annual operating budget within the guidelines established by the University Budget Office and the IU School of Medicine Dean's Office Financial Analysis & Budget unit. The core's operating budget will be monitored throughout the year, and budget adjustments will be completed as needed. Any significant changes in the core's annual operating budget will be reviewed by the IROC and the EADR.
Rates
Work with the core to ensure the core is compliant with all Office of the University Controller Auxiliary Accounting policies. Rates will be reviewed annually and calculated and submitted by the Dean's Office to the Office of the University Controller annually or biannually, as required by university policy.
Business Operations
Provide support as needed for all business operations and administrative duties for centralized cores, including but not limited to purchasing, accounts payable, travel, accounts receivable, HRMS document management, and core billing and invoicing.
Reporting
Provide monthly financial and activity reports to the core and school leadership, as well as other reports required or requested by the university, the EADR, the IROC, the OC, or core leadership.
Financial support for centralized cores is provided by the Dean's Office, at the discretion of EADR, for the following:
Ongoing operations
Operating deficits for centralized cores are subsidized by the Dean's Office. Core subsidies are budgeted annually and are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Staffing changes or significant changes in operating expenses
Funding for staffing changes or significant changes in operating expenses not fully covered by revenue increases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Equipment
Funding requests for equipment purchases are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The Dean's Office will work with the core to identify funding opportunities for approved equipment purchases.
Institutional research service cores (also known as school cores) are created upon the approval of the Executive Associate Dean for Research (EADR) and the IROC (Institutional Research Oversight Committee) to provide equipment or services on a fee-for-service basis to the IU School of Medicine research community. In such cases, the services provided to the faculty may be additionally subsidized by the EADR.
*Category 2 refers to equipment purchases over $100,000.
Any equipment purchases under $100,000 can should be emailed directly to Mark Mitchell for consideration of approval.
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Cores must demonstrate how its services benefit users (Uniqueness/Cost effective/Quality Service) by providing a value proposition.
Core services must enable researchers to move their research program in new
directions.
Core services must address the needs of IU School of Medicine researchers within 26 school
departments (Both basic and clinical research).
Core must provide services to external partners (biotech companies or Non-CTSI institutions) within Indiana and beyond
Core must also provide an explanation of its key resources/consulting capabilities such as:
Existing Instrumentation Grants (NIH Shared Instrumentation Grants (SIG)/NIH High-End
Instrumentation (HEI)/NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)
Core must provide its cost structure information:
Including any productivity improvements to enable the Core to receive additional subsidies and/or eligibility for an equipment grant
Core must also share its qualitative feedback such as:
User customer survey information
IROC committee institutional evaluation
Core self-assessment (including analysis of Strength/Weakness/Threat/Opportunities)
Internal advisory team report
External advisory team report
Core’s ability to enable grants
Core’s capacity to promote peer-reviewed science
Ability of the Core to enable high impact publications
Chair and Senior Research Professor of Medicine – Alan Palkowitz, PhD
Director IUSCC – Kelvin Lee, MD
Associate Dean for Research Affairs – Carmel Egan, PhD
Professor of Pediatric and IUSCC Assoc. Director for transl. Research – Mark Kelley, PhD
Director, Center for Musculoskeletal Health – Lynda Bonewald, PhD
Executive Director, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute – Bruce Lamb, PhD
Interim Director, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research – Reuben Kapur, PhD
Chair, Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – Michael Weiss, MD, PhD, MBA
CTSI Access Technology Program Director – Jill Reiter, PhD
President & CEO of Regenstrief Institute, Inc. – Peter Embi, MD, MS, FACP, FACMI, FAMIA
Senior Director, Research Administration & Finance – Rob Dimmitt, MBA
Director of Core Services – Padma Portonovo, PhD
Chair, Senior Research Professor of Medicine – Alan Palkowitz, PhD
Associate Dean for Research Affairs – Carmel Egan, PhD
CTSI Access Technology Program Director – Jill Reiter, PhD
IU School of Medicine School Core Directors (currently seven school cores)
Space Planning & Utilization IU School of Medicine – Rick Patrick, MBA
Finance Assistant Director of Centralized Cores – Mark Mitchell, MP
Director of Clinical Research Informatics – Umberto Tachinardi, MD, MS, FACMI
Director of Core Services – Padma Portonovo, PhD
