FAQs for Core Users

Yes! Core staff are experts in their area of focus and can guide you through this process.

Absolutely! Many graduate and undergraduate researchers use our cores and we are passionate about training the next generation of scholars.

Yes, many cores offer trainings for using their instrumentation. Please reach out to the core you want to work with, and they can help you schedule training. They can also run samples for you. 

Advance planning (i.e. prior to the start of the academic term) is greatly appreciated and please bear in mind that cores reserve the right to charge for their time, especially if the facility is closed off to other users during instructional periods. Please reach out to the individual core to discuss.

Simply provide the core with a valid index number at the start of the project. Each month, we will sent out an invoice reflecting work done over the last month, then we will autobill your index. No need to submit payment to your department. Please know that cores reserve the right to decline a project if no billing index is provided at the start of the project.

We do not currently have any promotional programs of this sort, but we hope to have one in the future. In the meantime, your efforts to obtain facility upgrades allow the entire university community, yourself included, to enjoy improved research infrastructure at minimal additional cost. When a core facility pays to upgrade equipment, the user fee increases significantly because the facility’s costs have increased. But if these expenses can instead be charged to a grant rather than the core, the user fee is not increased, or only increases proportionally with respect to any increased need (supplies, maintenance, staffing, etc.) not covered by the grant.

We recommend reaching out to the Office of Research Development as well as the core you want to work with well in advance of the grant deadline. They can assist with creating an approximate scope of work and accompanying budget. We also recommend that you plan for user fees to increase throughout the lifespan of your grant, rather than remaining the same. Between 2021 and 2023, we observed significant price increases for many core expenses (especially lab supplies, compressed gases, repair visits, and maintenance contracts) which has translated into higher user fees. While we continue to look for efficiencies and hope for prices to level out, we hope to minimize rate increases as much as possible, but in order to be safe, we recommend that you plan for annual 10-20% increases in the user fee for the next few years. Individual cores could advise whether you should plan for the lower or higher end of that range.

Individual cores have very little ability to adjust their pricing in these situations, though they may be able to help identify potential efficiencies (bulk discounts, using facilities during non-peak hours, utilizing self-run services, etc.) We also recommend that you reach out to your department head to inquire about any available assistance, and then, if necessary, the Vice President of Research.

Yes. However, this can impact the user fee structure of the core, so we recommend reaching out to core staff to discuss this prior to submitting your grant applications.

Currently, cores are not part of the credit system in the ePCF.

Yes please! Since cores do not receive credit via the ePCF, citations and acknowledgements are one of our most important metrics for research impact. Our core staff would be happy to provide you with suggested language to include in your manuscripts. Some cores even provide this language on their individual website.

Even if we do not have the exact capabilities you are looking for, our core staff may be able to point you towards resources located elsewhere, or even arrange special collaborations (i.e. collecting data at a neighboring institution and analyzing the data in-house). Please also feel free to leave us a comment to suggest how we can improve our core program.

Core facilities make specialized research technology and expertise available to the entire local research community, often for a fee. They are traditionally associated with expensive scientific instrumentation (microscopes, NMR, flow cytometry facilities, etc.) Here at MSU, core facilities are overseen by MSU’s Office of Research rather than by individual academic departments.

When you use one of MSU’s core facilities, you are collaborating with professionals who specialize in helping you obtain, analyze, and interpret high quality research data. You are also investing in the local economy and partnering with us to train the next generation of researchers.

We recommend reaching out to the core you want to work with to schedule an intake meeting where you can discuss your project needs.

Yes! Core staff are experts in their research areas and can guide you through this process.

The initial intake meeting is a great opportunity to discuss whether you can walk into the facility or need to sign up for usage in advance.

Most of our cores are able to accept samples via mail. Please check with them during the intake meeting.

Many cores offer trainings for using their instrumentation. Please reach out to the core you want to work with, and they can help you schedule training. MSU also requires that external users who want to come to campus and use any MSU space or equipment themselves must sign a facilities use agreement (FUA) which protects the university in case of damage to our equipment. An FUA is not required if you are simply hiring our staff to operate core equipment on your behalf.

Depending upon the scope of your project, you will likely need to sign either a testing services or research agreement. Project work can only begin once there is a signed agreement in place.

User fees are unique to each core and are posted on their individual websites. Core staff can help you estimate project costs as needed.

Instructions for payment are located on the invoices that you will receive from the core you work with. We are able to receive payment by check, and, in some cases, via credit card.

Many of our cores offer an external academic/non-profit/government rate for their services.

Absolutely. Our core staff would be happy to provide you with suggested language to include in your manuscripts.

Even if we do not have the exact capabilities you are looking for, our core staff may be able to point you towards resources located elsewhere, or even arrange special collaborations (i.e. collecting data at a neighboring institution and analyzing the data in-house). Please also feel free to leave us a comment to suggest how we can improve our core program.