Post in External Company buys the core an instrument - Free usage forever?: Core Administrators Network Forum: ABRF Discussion Forums

I agree with Andy - if someone else is willing to pay for those expenses for the company, it could be done. But that begs the question, why wouldn't that internal source of funds just buy the equipment outright, then? If you don't think the company will ever use the equipment enough so that service fees equal the cost of the equipment, then it is a plus for the institution. But there still has to be an institutional source of funding willing to cover those fees. Best, Julie On 11/10/20, 8:29 AM, "Core Administrators Network Forum on behalf of Andrew Wayne Ott" <email obscured> on behalf of <email obscured>> wrote: I don't see why this would be different that if the instrument is bought on a grant. If services are provided on a recharge model, the cost to operate and maintain the instrument would be charged at the time of service delivery. Those costs could not be distributed to other users of the core. Having said that, I could see a scenario where the institution decides to "give away" those services in exchange for the contribution. In that case, you would either need to subsidize the cost to zero, with funds outside the core, or move those expenses out of the core (i.e. fund on a department account or similar). Either way you are funding those costs from an source external to the core. You are not giving away, just charging someone else. Question would be just how you choose to track. This could open a huge can of worms as why would an department/school compensate a company for contributing a piece of equipment, but not a PI for getting a grant the sites equipment in a core. I would hesitate to pursue that path unless the cost of the equipment was extremely high, in the strategic plan of the core, and the resource requirement to provide the services is relatively small. Andy Director of Core Facilities Administration Office for Research ph: 847-467-1622 ph: 847-491-3032 email: <email obscured>