A Case Study – The Unique Operating Model of the Research Core Facility (RCF) at the Keenan Research Centre (KRC) in the Li-Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (LKSKI) at St. Michaels Hospital Toronto Canada

摘要

For the past several years we have planned a new building to house our Research programme. We used this as an opportnunity to create centralized core facilities with a unique operating model. Here we describe the design process, operating model and highlight the correlation between a well designed and proffesionally run core facility that stresses teaching, collaboration, user productivity and satisfaction.The RCF is a multi-user facility supporting basic science research in the new LKSKI. The underlying design principle for the LKSKI was to foster a collaborative research environment where there was a convergence between scientific investigation, education and patient care. The RCF does this both through its physical design which creates an atmosphere of connectivity, as well as through an emphasis on providing training and project design advice with a focus on teaching people to run their own samples rather than running the samples for them.The facility brought together new and donated equipment, centralizing management through a professional staff of trained scientists. It includes both common and specialized facilities such as; BioImaging, Flow cytometry, Molecular Biology, and Histology. By reducing duplication and increasing usage, the facility offers significant savings, creating a critical mass where cutting edge equipment and techniques are available to scientists who couldn't otherwise afford them. The RCF costs are shared by the users and the Institution. Instead of user fees, which can be hard to quantify and administer, the institution requires that all grants include financial support, equivalent to 3% of the operating budget.The conclusion, amongst the majority of researchers is that after a year of occupation and operation, there is a definite improvement in productivity and user satisfaction. A recent survey indicates that 85% of users are more productive, with 83% rating the facilities and operations as good or excellent.