About

Core Facilities Administration

Research is a top priority at Northwestern. Core Facilities are a pivotal part of the University’s research infrastructure, providing resources that allow groundbreaking work to happen. Within these shared laboratories, researchers have the instrumentation and technical support to push forward discoveries that will shape the future of our nation and our world. Operating as fee-for-service facilities, most are available to external researchers as well (see below).

Our Mission

Northwestern strives to be a national leader in research core facilities. Outstanding management is an important part of this goal and ensures that the facilities run smoothly, receive funding, and recruit the best and brightest scientists in the world.

The Office of Core Facilities Administration (CFA) oversees and supports approximately 50 university core facilities on its Evanston and Chicago campuses as well in partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Core facilities enable sharing of University resources that individual researchers would not otherwise be able to afford.  Core facilities are created and directed by Northwestern faculty and supported by the University to meet the collective needs of its research community. While each core facility has a faculty advisory committee, additional Committees serve advisory roles to the Office for Research.

External Customers

One institution alone cannot solve society’s biggest problems. To encourage new ideas through collaboration, Northwestern has a history of cooperating with external clients, including for-profit and nonprofit organizations. External users interested in instruments or services at one of our core facilities should contact the director or manager of the facility to inquire about availability or visit the website for External Customers. Uncertain who to contact? Just use the search function above to look for people, instruments, and services.

Acknowledging our Cores

Grants and Publications: The use of data generated in a core facility in a grant application, progress report or publication contains the implicit understanding that the PI or authors will acknowledge the use of the core facility. Since many of our facilities are supported by federal agencies, such acknowledgement is mandatory.

Authorship: If core personnel provide significant intellectual input to the results submitted for publication, then it is reasonable and appropriate to include them as co-authors. Since circumstances very widely, each case should be considered individually.