Core Facility Assistance Grant Program

The Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Core Facility Assistance Grant Program seeks to enhance operations within and the financial sustainability of our Core and Shared Instrumentation Facilities on the CU Boulder campus.

The Program has limited funds to 1) promote the financial sustainability of our Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation; 2) ensure essential infrastructure; and 3) expand the capabilities available to the CU Boulder scientific community. Any and all awarded funds must be applied to resources found within our Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation, while resulting in growth in cost recovery, an expanded userbase, and/or inclusion in future funding opportunities. 

For FY25, areas of emphasis include:  

• Promote financial sustainability of our Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation. The cost of maintaining our essential infrastructure is significant, and steps must be taken to offset these costs to the greatest extent possible while ensuring accessibility to our investigators. Investments should improve the financial outlook of the resource while minimizing the cost burden experienced by the home unit and the users.
• Ensure essential Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation infrastructure. 
  Supporting and maintaining existing impactful and widely used instrumentation and technologies is critical to ensuring CU Boulder's research infrastructure and our standing as an R1 research institution. Awarded funds should help to resolve urgent and imminent needs that fall beyond the ability of the Core Facility, and ensure that these essential resources remain operational and accessible, thereby stabilizing the financial outlook of the shared resource.
• Expand the capabilities found within our Shared Resources. 
  The capabilities found within our Core Facilities must continue to grow to meet the investigative needs of our researchers. Upgrading existing technologies or acquiring new systems is critical to supporting CU Boulder's research infrastructure and the broader scientific community. Resolving these growing unmet needs should not only expand what is currently available, but should also result in additional funding opportunities and growth in cost recovery.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include CU Boulder Core Facility directors/managers, faculty or staff. Applicants who are not Core Facility directors/managers must collaborate with one or more CU Boulder Core Facilities in developing the project proposal. Other eligibility requirements and considerations include:

• Core Facilities must meet the current definition as approved by the Cores Advisory Committee.
• Cores must have an active rate sheet approved by the Office of Contracts and Grants
• Only one application is allowed per core. View Eligible Core Facilities 

Budget

The Core Facility Assistance Grant Program will fund up to $200,000 in grants in FY25. Funding for the program in future years is subject to availability of funds. For FY25, there is no maximum award per application, regardless of the number of Core Facilities involved. Cost share is required for FY25. Please the Required Cost Share table below for more details. Note: RIO will not provide funding to pay for GAR/GIR related to this funding opportunity. 

Application Terms and Limits

The Core Facilities Assistant Grant Program will fund up to $200,000 in grants in FY25. Terms, limits and restrictions include: 

• No limit to the size of the ask.
• Individual Cores may combine efforts.
• An application may include multiple related items.
• Each Core may only be included within a maximum of one (1) application.
• Awarded funds cannot be used for staff salary.
• Matching funds must be new to the facility and represent additional investment. Funds dedicated to existing staff, service contracts or other planned expenses will not qualify as matching.
• Matching funds are not required to come from the home unit and can come from multiple sources.

Requirements

1. Applicants that are not core directors must co-develop the proposal with one or more CU Boulder Core Facilities or Shared Instrumentation centers to assess feasibility and discuss the budget prior to applying. A single award may be used to support a project that involves more than one Core Facility.
2. All funds must be spent in one or more Core Facilities.
3. Funds cannot be used to pay salaries of Core Facility or other staff.
4. Funds can be used for safety improvements, remote access capabilities and equipment (repair and acquisition).
5. Funds must be spent in the Core Facility associated with the project described in the grant application.
6. For acquisitions and purchases, quotes and related documentation (e.g. sole source justifications, compliance forms) must be submitted to the procurement officer by October 1, 2025. Failure to do so may result in the awarded funds being rescinded.
7. The Director of Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation must be notified of your submission by sending a confirmation email to joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.
8. All awarded funds must be spent by June 1, 2026. There will be no no-cost extensions. 

Cost Share

Terms & Conditions

1. Recipients will submit an annual Impact Report for three full fiscal years (three reports in total). Failure to do so may result in the Core Facility being disqualified from future funding opportunities.  
2. If a significant outcome of this grant award is realized at any time, recipients will immediately notify Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation in writing by emailing joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.
3. If there is a change or absence (60 days or greater) in PI, recipients will contact and provide a justification to Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.   
4. If the project entails any compliance issues such as IRB, IACUC, EHS, biohazardous material, etc., recipients certify that the appropriate compliance offices on campus will be made aware of the proposed activities before initiating any work.
5. Awards will be made available through the financial office in recipients’ respective college/school/institute on the 15th day of July following award notification (not earlier), at which time project spending can commence. The budget office at the PI’s respective college/school/institute will set up the speedtype (account) number for the award. RIO will transfer the funds to the speedtype. Recipients are advised to contact respective budget offices for the speedtype no later than June 10 following award notification.
6. RIO will not provide any funds to be allocated to staff salary, GAR, GIR or PIE/C.
7. The project duration is up to 12 months (July 1, 2025—June 30, 2026). There will be no no-cost extensions awarded. Unused funds at the end of the project will be returned to RIO.
8. If a recipient fails to fulfill any of the aforementioned conditions, RIO reserves the right to suspend funds. 

Reviews

Faculty volunteers review applications, provide comments and recommend proposals for funding. Proposals will be evaluated in four primary areas:

• Need: Does the acquisition satisfy a growing unmet need that will be utilized by multiple investigators?
• Overall Benefit:  Does the acquisition benefit Core Facility operations and users, and enhance the capabilities of the university’s research infrastructure? Is this a unique resource or capability that is not available elsewhere on our campus?
• Management and Expertise:  Is the Core Facility able to appropriately operate the acquisition and ensure that it can be accessed by the CU Boulder scientific community?
• Education and Outreach: Does this resource support the education mission of CU Boulder? Will it result in additional or expanded interaction with the broader scientific community?
• Funding Request: Is the expenditure of these funds accurate and justifiable, and worth the investment from the Research and Innovation Office? 

Application Deadline and Portal

Applications for FY25 will close on April 18, 2025, 11:59pm MST

  Click Here to Submit 

Proposal Format and Preparation

1. Cover and Cost Share confirmation page—please include the following: 

• Use the template found here
• Submission format: PDF
• Date of application (submission date)
• Name of the applicant
• Applicant email
• Full name of the Core Facility
• Home department/institute/unit of the Core Facility
• Name of Core Facility director/manager
• Proposal Title
• Amount requested ($)
• Amount of Cost Share ($)
• Signatures of the applicant, department or committee chair, and the provider of the Cost Share are required; these signatures will constitute acknowledgment that the request has been discussed, and the application and Cost Share approved. 

2. Purchase/Acquisition description—please include the following:

• Page limits:
  • "Total Required" is $0–$50,000: 2 pages
  • "Total Required" is >$50,000: 3 pages
• Tables and figures:
  • Maximum 1 page regardless of "Total Required"
• The full proposal should be in sufficient detail to be understood by a non-expert reviewer.
  • Justification of the need:
    • What will be purchased? For how much exactly?
    • How does this purchase complement the existing resources of the Core Facility?
    • How will this purchase advance the capabilities of the Core?
    • Does similar equipment exist? If yes, why does it not fit your needs?
  • Broader impacts:
    • Improved financial sustainability currently and in the future
    • Current and future research
    • CU research enterprise
    • Overall benefit of the purchase
  • Future funding opportunities enabled
  • Education and outreach:
    • How does this fit into the current ecosystem?

3. Overview of the Core Facility—please include the following:

• Page limit, including tables and figures: 1 page
• Brief description of the Core Facility:
  • Users
  • Labs
  • Broad overview of the Core
  • Historical management and use
  • Technical expertise:
    • Who will oversee the acquistion?
    • Any prior experience with the purchase or other relevant experiences?

4. Price quote:

• Current Price Quote (will not count against the page limit)
• Note: RIO will not provide funding to pay for GAR/GIR related to this funding opportunity. 

5. Support letters

• Maximum number of support letters: 2
• Examples include:
  • From Core Facility if not the PI
  • Department/Institute Chair
  • At least one major user (max 2 users)

6. Annual Impact Report agreement

• By submitting for the Core Facilities Assistance Grant, you agree to submit an annual Impact Report for the next three fiscal years (three reports in total). Failure to do so may result in this Core's disqualification from future funding opportunities. 

For questions about the Core Facility Assistance Grant Program, please contact Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at (  joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu).