Core Research Facilities
Core research facilities are dedicated units operated centrally for shared use by investigators that acquire and deploy equipment together with staff expertise in support of research across the entire university community. Faculty members and students benefit from the shared cost of these units, and the research environment at UMass Boston benefits from the economies of scale that enable timely acquisition of new equipment and technologies.
As explained in detail in A Note Concerning Core Research Facilities, a core research facility (CRF) provides two service functions. The first is a research function that offers technological support, through access to specialized state-of-the-art equipment and the services of professional and technical staff, for the investigations of faculty, students, and staff across campus. The second is a training (or educational) function, through the provision of consultation and customized learning opportunities, that assists users to focus the capabilities of the CRF on research problems relevant to them. A CRF is also able to provide, under carefully controlled business arrangements, access to its equipment and its specialized research services to individuals in other institutions as well as to corporate and business partners. It is expected that each CRF will obtain sufficient financial support through grant awards, donations, and corporate partnerships to meet ongoing recurrent costs, such as operating and maintenance costs, and to meet projected growth needs. Each CRF has the capacity to charge back the direct costs of the equipment and research services it provides, typically through usage fees and fee-for-service contracts.
CRFs will be developed as needs arise and resources are identified to support their establishment and operation.