Tim Hunter University of Vermont Core Manager, VGN Microarray Facility Core Manager, VCC DNA Analysis Facility

1. Tim Hunter University of Vermont Core Manager, VGN Microarray Facility Core Manager, VCC DNA Analysis Facility Asst Director, Translational Technologies Unit, CCTS

2. Network of IDeA-funded Core Laboratories (NICL): Turning NICL into Gold IDeA Central Regional Meeting May 23-25, 2011 Hilton Hotel, Omaha, Nebraska

3. NCRR Strategic Plan: 2009- 2013 • Build capacity • Advance research through animal models • Foster research through technologies • Develop informatics approaches to support research • Strengthen the research workforce • Maximize partnerships Dr. Barbara Alving, NISBRE 2008

4. The Cores Need a Voice: At the level of the NCRR activities: • Lack of core representation during COBRE/INBRE/RCMI regional meetings • NISBRE conference attended by PI’s, office staff (admin), but as a rule few core staff are given the opportunity to participate due to lack of funding • Information sent to the grant award PIs rarely trickles down to the cores

5. The cores need a voice: A Network was Born (NICL) • Presence at regional/national meetings/NIH • Help forge and develop partnerships between NICL and other regional and national core organizations • Discussion on partnership with the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facility (ABRF.org) • Tap into existing research groups, and presence in scientific community (FASEB membership) • NICL annual national meeting (representation during NISBRE) • Advocacy: Steering Committee was formed 2008 “impromptu” core breakout session organized by Sol- Church and Hunter. served as catalyst for the building of the new core network

6. NICL Steering Committee: Northeast • Tim Hunter • Vermont Genetics Network at UVM • Katia Sol-Church • Nemours, DE • Stephen Bobin • Dartmouth Medical School, NH • Steve Jennings • University of Arkansas at Little Rock • James Foster • University of Idaho • Faye Schilkey • National Center for Genome Resources, NM • Kate McInnerney • Montana State University • ??????? South West Central

7. New Steering Committee Member: Central Region Cynthia Anderson Program Coordinator, SD Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network Associate Director, Western South Dakota DNA Core Facility Assistant Professor, Biology Black Hills State University Cynthia.Anderson@bhsu.edu

8. NICL Mission Statement: • The mission of this network is to support, encourage, and facilitate resource sharing and collaboration among NCRR-funded cores and shared-resource facilities.

9. NICL Objectives: • To establish a national network of cores that share expertise and provide mutual support to build capacity and deliver quality services to NCRR-funded investigators • To establish and maintain a web site (NICLweb.org) to support effective communication between the network members and provide a bridge to the National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators • To promote the development of state-of-the-art research methodologies and the flow of technical expertise within the NCRR-funded programs (COBRE, INBRE, RCMI, CTSA) • To share knowledge and expertise on long-range planning and core operations and to provide educational and career growth opportunities to its members • To help forge and develop partnerships between NICL and other regional and national core organizations

10. NICL: The Evolution • 2008 “impromptu” core breakout session organized by Sol- Church and Hunter. This served as catalyst for the building of the new core network • Explore how best to insure Core viability post-COBRE/INBRE funding • Discuss ways to help promote interactions between NIH-funded cores/resource facilities. Maximize Partnerships

11. What We Learned: Common Issues • Some NCRR-funded cores are isolated: • No easy access to medical schools (ID) • Sometimes difficult to hire specialized staff • Some cores want to do outreach but don’t know how • Information does not get to them, need a central place • Very few attendees are aware of federal regulations regarding core fees structure – where is the information? • Most had never developed chargebacks or a business plan to sustain critical core activities beyond NCRR funding. • No formal standards on how core charge back should be implemented. • Need for a workshop on core management? • Most were not aware of the opportunities for networking in the “Core Community”

12. NICL : Providing a Voice for the Cores • Provide Forums for Core Networking • Leverage through ABRF and NISBRE • Establish Tools to promote information exchange and Identify Resources • NICL Website (www.niclweb.org) • Promote collaboration, education & resource sharing • Establish “Fee Waivers” or “special pricing” to encourage Network interactions lower prices (subsidized). “In-kind” services between core facilities • Road block might be institutional: not set-up for easy sharing (e.g. purchasing dept. have difficulties dealing with PO’s for outside customers). • Memo of Understanding (MOU): a standard document used for resource sharing by all cores in the NCRR Network

13. NICL: The Evolution • 2009: NICL Satellite Meeting at ABRF • 35 NICL members • 18 INBRE-funded • 10 COBRE-funded • 7 RCMI-funded • 15 states: AR, DE, GA, ID, ME, MS, MT, ND ,NH, NM, RI, SC, TN, VT, WV • 20 different institutions • 9 GUESTS from • NIH/NCRR (DC) • ABRF 2009 Organizing Comm. (CT) • ABRF Executive Board (PA) • ABRF Membership Comm. (CA) • NIH/NCBI (DC) • FASEB (NC) • BioServe (MD) RFI Released by NIH-NCRR: Improving Core Facilities

14. NIH/NCRR Meetings on Efficient Core Management The Efficient Management and Utilization of Core Facilities July 14 – 15, 2009 Moving Forward in the Efficient Management and Use of Core Facilities November 15 – 16, 2010 updates on maximizing the use and efficiency of existing NIH-funded research core facilities developing effective training programs for core facility directors exploring software options for enhancing administrative management of core facilities creating a national registry of core resources standardizing compliance with OMB Circular A21 • managing core facilities • issues of cost efficiency, management and access • finding and accessing core facilities • government policies governing managing and reporting • training core directors • quality improvement

15. NICL Evolution: 2009 NISBRE Organizing Committee Request NICL Representation

16. NISBRE 2010 Core Personnel Travel Awardees: •Jennifer Holbrook: Nemours/A.I.duPont Hospital for Children •Bryon Grove: University of North Dakota •Cheryl J Aine: University of New Mexico •James Eudy: University of Nebraska Medical Center •Kate McInnerney: Montana State University •Kristen-Ashley Muirhead: Dartmouth Medical School. •Manjula Sunkara: University of Kentucky •Mikhail Golovko: University of North Dakota (COBRE) •Vivek Nerurka: University of Hawaii •Bonnibel Delagado: University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences NICL Evolution: A First!!

17. NICL Evolution: NISBRE 2010 12:45 -3:30PM: NICL Organizational Meeting (James Foster, U Idaho) •12:30-1:30PM: NICL Workshop Session I: Educational Outreach Through Core Facilities (Janet Murray, Vermont Genetics Network, and Scott Seville, Wyoming) -How to develop a culture of research in your state through outreach activities in collaboration with institutional cores •1:30-3:30PM: NICL Workshop Session II: Best Practices in Core Management (Steve Bobin, Dartmouth, Faye Shilkey, NCGR, NM, and Nick Ambulos, U Maryland) -The business of running a core facility •3:30-5:00PM: NICL Workshop Session III: Shared Resource Networks (SteveJennings, U Arkansas at Little Rock, and Tim Hunter, Vermont Genetics Network) -Networks that can promote and foster exchange of core resources. All workshop sessions are interactive and designed to encourage exchange of challenges and successes on the topic being discussed that can be unique to operating IDeA-funded core laboratories.

18. NICL Organizational Meeting: Organized and led by James Foster • Break into working groups to discuss and summarize • Group 1: What are core facilities’ needs and what barriers do we face? (Steve Bobin) • Group 2: What resources and opportunities currently exist for core operations? (Kate McInnerney) • Group 3: What needs to be done to formalize the NICL organization? (Steve Jennings) • Group 4: How can cores sustain dialog and information sharing? (Tim Hunter) • Afterwards • Register your core at: http://vgn.uvm.edu/corefacilities/ • NICL board presents summary to NCRR (before end of NISBRE) • NICL convenes at ABRF 2011 • Continue discussion online at niclweb.org

19. Key Recommendations to NCRR: 1. Fund: Support and expand the NICL organization through NICL leadership with external funding. 2. Authorize: Identify NICL as an NCRR supported entity with the mandate of coordinating core facilities in IDEA states. 3. Authorize: NICL be authorized by NCRR to test and certify the usability and effectiveness of prototype databases, ontologies, and similar resources. 4. Fund: Provide matching funds for cooperative projects between NICL members. 5. Clarify: Mediate disputes with local institutions; clarify budgeting and operations requirements and guidelines. 6. Bargain: Mediate collective bargaining with service and commodity providers, for example to acquire group discounts on licenses and service contracts. 7. Train: Provide administrative training to core leadership and to key institutional personnel (such as SRO personnel).

20. BuildingNICL Network Tools

21. Tools to:- Promote Communication- Education of Core Directors-Identify and inventory cores (Foster Sharing of Resources) Resources Developed to Support Network: www.niclweb.org

23. Identifying Resources: -Hardware -Expertise 2009 Established database for voluntary population of NICL Core’s

24. Search Provides: • All cores in state • Link to core website • Location • Contact info • Services offered • Description of facility • Affiliated associations • Equipment • Date last updated

25. Filter Searches Or Enter here http://vgn.uvm.edu/corefacilities/

27. Search Results for: • Defined Service

28. Hyperlink direct to: • Core facility website

29. Association Search: • NICL

30. Multiple field Search: • Vermont • Microarray • NICL

31. VGN Searchable Core Facilities Database:Statistics • 322 Cores • 44 States + DC • 126 Institutes • 11 Associations • 67 NICL Cores listed • 102 Service Keywords • 100 Distinct Service Keywords offered by Core Facilities Data captured May 11, 2011

32. NICL Website:How it is being used • Communication through forums • Prevent Local duplication of research infrastructure • Finding distributed unique strengths of resources within a network (NICL, MWACD, NERLSCD, NERTRN) • Outsourcing • Identify local resource to offset vacation in single staffed core • Identify expertise: protocols and troubleshooting

33. The future for NICL: • Provide Tools and Forums to promote networking, collaborations, education, and identification and sharing of resources • Use for leveraging • Instrument service contracts? • Reagents and consumables? • Other? • What are other ways we can use the NICL network to our advantage? • What opportunities exist where networks can help • What are ways we can work with NAIPI to strengthen core communication and education

34. Resource Sharing The future for NICL: • What division does the IDeA program transfer to • Here we need to have a voice! • Changes on the horizon…….

35. Acknowledgements: NICL Steering Committee Judith Van Houten Bryan Fleming Jim Vincent Katia Sol-Church Stephen Bobin Steve Jennings Faye Shilkey James Foster Kate McInnerney Cynthia Anderson Gregory Farber Barbara Alving Louise Ramm Fred Taylor Michael Sayre Sidney McNairy