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The Central Support Program'sÌýCoreÌýFacilityÌýAssistanceÌýGrant—Infrastructure ProgramÌýseeks to support the research enterprise and our faculty, staff and students by enhancing Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder Core Facility infrastructure, thereby ultimately augmenting the scientific impact and financial sustainability of these essential shared resources.Ìý

TheÌýProgramÌýhas limited funds to 1) ensure essential infrastructure; 2) promote the financial sustainability of our Core Facilities in support of our research enterprise and faculty, staff and students; and 3) expand the capabilities available to the local scientific community. Any and all awarded funds must be applied to resources found within our Core Facilities while resulting in growth in cost recovery, an expanded userbase, and/or inclusion in future funding opportunities.Ìý

For FY27, areas of emphasis include:ÌýÌý

• Promote the immediate and long-term financial sustainability and operational efficiency 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 and/or improve the operational efficiency of the Core by minimizing both the current and future cost burden experienced by the home unit and the users. Care must be taken to avoiding adding to the annual operating cost of the facility.Ìý
• Ensure essential Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation infrastructure.Ìý
  Supporting and maintaining existing impactful and widely used instrumentation and technologies is critical to ensuring Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder'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 technological and service capabilities found within our Shared Resources.Ìý
  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 Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder'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 while not increasing the ongoing operational cost of the shared resource.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include CUÌýBoulderÌýCoreÌýFacilityÌýdirectors/managers,ÌýfacultyÌýor staff.ÌýApplicantsÌýwho are not Core Facility directors/managers must collaborate with one or more Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder Core FacilitiesÌýin developing the projectÌýproposal. Other eligibility requirements and considerations include:

• Core Facilities must meet the current definition as approved by the Central Support Program.
• Cores must have an active rate sheet approved by the Office of Contracts and Grants.
• Cores must have provided their FY26 Key Metrics and Cores Cost Sheet.
• Only one application is allowed per core, and joint applications are allowed.ÌýView Eligible Core FacilitiesÌý

Budget

The Core Facility Assistance Grant—Infrastructure ProgramÌýwill fund up toÌý$300,000Ìýin grants in FY27.ÌýFunding for the program in future years is subject toÌýavailabilityÌýof funds. For FY27, the maximum award per application is $200,000, regardless of the number of Core Facilities involved. No cost share is required for FY27, but cost share may be used to decrease the size of the ask from the Central Support Program. Note: The Central Support Program will not provide funding to pay for GAR/GIR related to this support opportunity.Ìý

Examples of Supported Items

The Core Facility Assistance Grant—Infrastructure Program funds are to be used to promote the financial sustainability of our Cores, ensure essential shared resource infrastructure, and expand the technological and service capabilities available to our investigators, all while reducing the ongoing operational costs and fiscal burdens carried by our home units.Ìý

Below are several examples of items and acquisitions that could be considered. This list is by no means exhaustive, and is intended to be informative:

• Technological/capability upgrade to current instrumentation and services
• Instrumentation to facilitate the operational efficiency of the Core or an instrument, and/or the impact of a service
• One-time repair of existing instrumentation
• Partial or full-service contract support on recurring contracts. Multi-year service/maintenance contracts are allowed, but all awarded funds must be spent during FY27. Ìý

Application Terms and Limits

The Core Facilities Assistant Grant Program will fund up to $300,000 in grants in FY27. Terms, limits and restrictions include:Ìý

• Maximum ask = $200,000
• 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 Core staff salary + benefits (current nor future) nor the salary + benefits of any other person.

Requirements

1. Applicants that are not core directors must co-develop the proposal withÌýone or more Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder Core Facilities to assess feasibility and discussÌýthe budgetÌýprior to applying.Ìý
2. A single award may be used to support a project that involves more than one Core Facility.
3. All funds must beÌýspent in one or moreÌýCoreÌýFacilities.
4. FundsÌýcannotÌýbe used to pay salaries + benefits of Core Facility or other staff, even if said staff is not currently a full FTE.
5. Funds can be used forÌýsafety improvements, promoting access, expanding capabilities and equipment (repair and acquisition). Funds may be applied towards a service contract, but the need and impact must be well justified, and the need for support thoroughly explained and how future contracts will be supported. Funds can be applied to a one-time maintenance visit.
6. Funds cannot be applied to normal/standard consumables. Exceptions may be considered, but not guaranteed, for unique consumables that are required to stand up a service or a capability.
7. Funds must be spent in the Core Facility associated with the project described in the grant application.
8. For acquisitions and purchases, quotes and related documentation (e.g. sole source justifications, compliance forms) must be submitted to the procurement officer by January 14, 2027. Failure to do so may result in the awarded funds being rescinded.
9. The Director of Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation must be notified of your submission by sending a confirmation email to joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.
10. All awarded funds must be spent by June 1, 2027. There will be no no-cost extensions.Ìý

Terms & Conditions

1. Recipients will submit an annual Impact Report for two full fiscal years (two reports in total). Failure to do so may result in the Core Facility being disqualified from future funding opportunities. Ìý
2. Recipients agree to provide the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder Cores Executive Committee their Key Metrics and Cores Cost Sheet for the following three full fiscal years.
3. 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.
4. If there is a change or absence (60 days or greater) in PI, recipients willÌýcontact and provide a justification to Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu. ÌýÌý
5. 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.
6. Awards will be made available through the financial office in recipients’ respective college/school/institute on the 10th day of December following award notification (or earlier), at which time project spending can commence. The budget office at the PI’s respective college/school/institute will set up theÌýspeedtypeÌý(account) number for the award. The Central Support Program will transfer the funds to theÌýspeedtype. Recipients are advised to contact respective budget offices for theÌýspeedtype no later than December 3 following award notification.
7. RIO will not provide any funds to be allocated to staff salary, GAR, GIR or PIE/C.
8. The project duration is December 3, 2026—June 1, 2027). There will be no no-cost extensions awarded. Unused funds at the end of the project will be returned to RIO.
9. All resulting publications must include the following acknowledgement text:
   1. The [ID] instrument was supported in part by the FY27 Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder Core Facility Assistance Grant.
      1. A unique ID will be provided to all recipients of the award.
10. If a recipient fails to fulfill any of theÌýaforementioned conditions, RIO reserves the right to suspend funds and void the Core Facility from future funding considerations.Ìý

Reviews

Faculty volunteers review applications, provide commentsÌýand 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/repair benefitÌýCore FacilityÌýoperations and users, andÌýenhance the capabilitiesÌýof the university’s research infrastructure? Is this a unique resource or capability that is not available elsewhere on our campus? Will this acquisition/repair encourage utilization by new users?
• Management and Expertise:  Is the Core Facility able to appropriately operate the acquisition and ensure that it can be accessed by the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder scientific community?
• Education and Outreach: Does this resource support the education mission of Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder? Will it result in additional or expanded interaction with the broader scientific community?
• Funding Request:ÌýIs the expenditure of these funds accurate and justifiable, and worth the investment from the Central Support Program for Core Facilities? For service contract and maintenance support, was the Core able to support any of the service contract? If not, why not?
• Impact Tracking: How will the impact of the acquisition/improvement be monitored moving forward? Is there a quantifiable mechanism to demonstrate the return on investment? Ìý
• Notes: Reviewers are instructed to stop at each indicated page limit. All tables and figures must adhere to the indicated page limits for each section (there is no extra space for tables and figures). The full proposal should be in sufficient detail to be understood by a non-expert reviewer.Ìý

Application Deadline and Portal

Applications for FY27 will close on November 10, 2026, 11:59pm MST

Proposal Format and Preparation

Application Notes:

• Reviewers are instructed to stop at each indicated page limit.
• All tables and figures must adhere to the indicated page limits for each section (there is no extra space for tables and figures).Ìý
• The full proposal should be in sufficient detail to be understood by a non-expert reviewer.Ìý
• Each section must adhere to and indicate the provided section subtitles.Ìý

Application Forms:

• ÌýÌýCover page
• ÌýÌýBudget form
• Application link

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

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

Section 2: Overview of the Core(s)—please include the following:

• Page limits (1 page maximum)
  • Description of the Core(s)
    • Areas of emphasis regarding capabilities/services, staffing levels
  • User Summary
    • Overall annual breadth of internal/external users, labs and departments supported by the Core
    • Annual breadth of internal/external users, labs and departments supported/enabled by the acquisition
  • Facility Administration and ManagementÌý
    • Oversight/management structure of the facility and the Acquisition

Section 3: Acquisition Description, Technical Expertise and Management and Ongoing Costs—please include the following:

• Page limit: 2 pages maximum
• Section subtitles and brief descriptions:
  • Description of the Acquisition:
    • What is being requested; description of the equipment/purchase
    • Clearly identify the Acquisition and describe any add-ons
    • If multiple items are being purchased, how do they fit together
    • The justification of each item/component should be included in Section 4: Justification of Need
  • Technical Expertise and Management:
    • Technical expertise as it relates to the request
    • Demonstration that your facility can appropriately utilize and support the Acquisition
    • Management of access, training and use
  • Ongoing/Recurring Costs:
    • Review of ongoing costs for next three fiscal yeras (maintenance, service contracts) for the Acquisition
    • What are the future costs for this Acquisition (if any) and how will these be supported? Focus on Service, Maintenance, Consumables. It is not necessary to include salaries.Ìý
    • Do any associated costs increase the annual Operating Cost of the facility?
    • If User Fees will be used, demonstrate the anticipated increase in User Fees due to the Acquisition and how much these will offset the increase.
  • Future Sustainability:
    • Commitment to future costs (three fiscal years)
    • Who will ensure the ongoing costs will be supported in case of financial shortfalls

Section 4: Justification of Need—please include the following:

• Page limit: 2 pages maximum
• Section subtitles and brief descriptions
  • Acquisition Uniqueness to Campus and Region
    • Why this Acquisition (if other options are available) and the necessity of any related components beyond the baseline unitÌý
    • Is this unique to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder within a shared environment or elsewhere?
  • Acquisition Impact
    • Who will use the Acquisition
    • If the Acquisition has multiple components, who will use each component

Section 5: Broader Impacts—please include the following:

• Page limit: 2 pages maximum
• Section subtitles and brief descriptions:
  • Research Enabled and Supported
    • Active and future research projects supported/enabled
    • It is not necessary to justify the significance of the research; rather, how the current and/or future research projects will be enabled
      • e.g. Professor X will use Y to do Z.Ìý
  • Future Funding Enabled
    • Future funding opportunities (faculty involved, funding agency and program plus due dates) enabled due to the Acquisition
  • Education and Outreach
    • Training, dedicated workshops, participation in courses

Section 6: Overall Benefit and Impact—please include the following:

• Page limit: 0.5 pages maximum
• Summarize the overall benefit and impact of the Acquisition

Section 7: Price Quote and Budget Sheet:

• Current Price Quote (will not count against the page limit)
• Combine all quotes into a single PDF
• Note: The Central Support Program will not provide funding to pay for GAR/GIR related to this support opportunity.Ìý
• Please complete theÌýÌýÌýBudget TemplateÌý

Section 8: Support/Acknowledgement Letters

• Letters stating support of the Acquisition
• Letters clearly stating any financial support that will be given for either the Acquisition or ongoing costs (if any)
• The letters should be brief and to the point, but clearly articulate any financial or other additional commitments, or intent to use the Acquisition

Section 9: Annual Impact Report Agreement

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

For questions aboutÌýtheÌýCore FacilityÌýAssistanceÌýGrant—Infrastructure Program, please contact Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at (ÌýÌýjoseph.dragavon@colorado.edu).