Research Core Facilities
Office of the Vice President for Research is committed to supporting foundational research infrastructure and the research facilities necessary to enable excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement in research, scholarship and creative artistry. One of the goals of the Cores Program is to provide access to state-of-the-art research tools and expertise across the University research enterprise. The OVPR supports CSU Core Facilities by providing stewardship, visibility and leadership for strategic planning and vision. Through our campus research partners, specific core facilities provide in house resources for researchers. Below is the current list of campus cores as compiled by the OVPR.
Cores Advisory Board Members
Mark Zabel
Diego Krapf
Nancy Levinger
Jessica Prenni
Melissa Reynolds
Jake Roberts
James Sites
iLab Core Management Software
Learn how to get started using iLabs at CSU:
If you are a CSU PI
If you are a CSU core facility user (and not a PI)
If you are an external user of CSU core facilities
CSU PIs – Getting Started with iLabs Video Tutorial
For questions about core facilities, contact Melissa Reynolds.
Core Facilities List
Sciences and Engineering:
The ARC enables cutting-edge STEM research and development programs at Colorado State University by providing access to analytical research instrumentation, expert guidance, services and education to CSU and the broader community.
EcoCore provides analytical, training and educational services related to ecology and ecosystem research to clients across several colleges at Colorado State University, as well as local federal agencies and other universities and institutes.
Our analytical facility is a campus-wide, common-use facility for a broad suite of elemental, molecular, microbial, and isotopic analysis of soil, plant, water and other environmental samples. We provide training and hands-on experience to students, post-docs and scientists on all our instruments while also operating as a service laboratory, offering a variety of analyses on a fee basis. The facility has also a dedicated area designed for teaching, research seminars and small workshops.
The mission of the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facility (FCF) is to provide easy and cost effective access to state-of-the-art flow cytometry and cell sorting instrumentation, services, and expertise for all researchers at Colorado State University.
Visit the Fluorescence Microscopy / Imaging Analysis Center website
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Colorado State University has a state-of-the-art macromolecular X-ray crystallography facility. Crystal growth is performed in a climate controlled crystallization room equipped with two bright field/dark field stereomicroscopes, vibration-isolated shelves for long term crystal tray storage, and two 4-60°C high-precision temperature adjustable incubators for crystal growth. We also have the requisite instruments for freezing, mounting, and storing crystals. A Douglas Instruments Oryx crystallization robot is available for screening crystallization conditions.
Visit the Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography Facility website
The SAMDCore enables research and development programs by providing expertise and access to state-of-the-art equipment for synthesis, processing and testing of materials.
Under Progress
Computing:
Division of IT’s Research Computing & Cyberinfrastructure department aims to reduce Colorado State University researchers’ time-to-science by advancing collaboration, operations, and technology to serve the university’s research mission. They provide researchers access to, and consulting and training in:
- High-performance computing (HPC)
- Research file storage
- World-wide high speed data transfer
Prototyping:
Offers consultation on drone systems, UAS project guidance, UAS piloting, assistance with UAS pilot training, liaison and navigation of FAA regulations, and as point of contact for UAS inquiries from outside the University. Further, the Center assists in authorizing flight requests at CSU and managing the Christman Airfield use for drone flights
Speeding innovation, creativity, and product development.
The idea is simple – to provide the world class research at CSU access to internal applied engineering expertise. Whether someone is looking for fabrication of complex hardware, the design and development of a nascent research system, or help in deploying a real time data acquisition architecture, we are here to help. We are dedicated to bringing ideas to fruition.
Biological and Clinical Sciences:
We use our expertise to provide the highest standard of care for laboratory animals in support of the Colorado State University research community. Lab Animal Resources (LAR) oversees the care and management of animals used in research and teaching at Colorado State University in over 48,000 square feet of animal holding space for small and large animals including animal biosafety level 3. We collaborate with investigators to meet their research needs by providing a full-spectrum of animal care and related services.
The mission of the CSU Molecular Quantification Core is to facilitate the progress of basic and translational research at Colorado State University by providing state-of-the-art instrumentation to detect and quantify nucleic acids and proteins with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity.
Enabling genomics for research, clinical, and industrial applications. Providing education, clinical expertise, sequencing services, and access to specialized equipment.
Plant Growth Facilities (PGF) PGF is an Institutional Core Research Facility, under the Agriculture Experiment Station. We provide over 60k ft2 of research space, including greenhouses, growth chambers and biocontainment facilities, to a diverse research base. The PGF community includes approximately 40 faculty/PIs, 250 support staff and 300 undergraduates in the classroom and teaching greenhouse. Our researchers represent 5 different colleges and study a diverse range of plant material, including: Wheat, Corn, Potatoes, Rice, Salt Grass, Arabidopsis & Hemp.
The Preclinical Surgical Research Laboratory (PSRL) specializes in in-vivo orthopaedic and soft tissue preclinical research. The five ACVS board-certified veterinary surgeons in PSRL are highly trained experts in spinal, orthopaedic, sports medicine and soft tissue animal models. PSRL has nine full-time staff members and its facilities have the capacity to house over 400 sheep and goats and multiple small animals (rabbits and rodents), making the lab fully prepared to organize preclinical studies in a timely and efficient manner.
Faculty and staff at the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories are among the nation’s finest in their fields of expertise and offer comprehensive diagnostic services.
The goal of the Experimental Pathology Facility (EPF) is to provide expertise in anatomic and clinical pathology – in the form of service, teaching, and consultation – for researchers studying veterinary diseases and animal models of human disease, both within Colorado State University and at outside institutions.
The Experimental Pathology Facility is a Colorado State University core laboratory facility that operates through state-of-the-art histology and bioanalytical laboratories located within Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories and Diagnostic Medicine Center.
Statistical and Data Analysis:
Our services include study design, grant writing and proposal preparation support, sample size determination, data analysis, interpretation of results, preparation of reports and manuscripts and help with statistical computing programs
Visit the the Franklin A Graybill Statistics and Data Science website
The Centroid is a geospatial resource and education center that serves students, faculty, and the greater community on all aspects of geographic information systems (GIS) and other spatial technologies.
The Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS) at Colorado State University aims to connect and support social scientists with other researchers, as well as university, community, and industry partners. At our core, we:
- Enhance social science research capacity
- Improve grant competitiveness campus-wide
- Promote interdisciplinary research networking opportunities
- Provide and support research methods training
Other:
BioMARC is a non-profit biologics Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization owned and operated by Colorado State University (CSU) serving bio-pharmaceutical companies and government agencies.
We specialize in high containment: Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) and Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3), and CDC Tier 1 select agents. Development and manufacturing are performed under phase appropriate cGMP conditions for pre-clinical, clinical and commercial products. Services include process and method development, cell and virus banking, bulk drug manufacturing, stability, and aseptic/viral fill finish. Projects involve vaccines, bio-therapeutics, and diagnostic reagents in our FDA and CDC inspected state-of-the-art facility.
The Chemistry Stockroom provides a large selection of chemicals and scientific supplies to the University, without the necessity of each college, department or research group maintaining its own separate storeroom. Items the stockroom carries includes:
- Extensive chemicals and supplies.
- Lab coats in sizes 34 through 56.
- Flame resistant lab coats.
- Gloves for sale to students: nitrile, latex and vinyl in sizes XS through XL.
- Liquid nitrogen dewars filled while you wait.
- Dry ice – don’t forget to bring a cooler.
The Department of Physics has a staffed machine shop for use by faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants across campus for work on projects relating to research.
Visit theLife Science Stockroom website
Recharge Fiscal Officers (RFO) Listserv
Business and Financial Services, in conjunction with the VPR’s office and Sponsored Programs, has created a listserv specifically for Fiscal Officers associated with Recharge (21/22) Accounts.
Our goal with this listserv is to create a community across our campus of people with similar responsibilities related to Recharge Accounts and to generate a forum in which we can easily disseminate important information and where questions can be asked and answered.
We hope this group can be open and collaborative where everyone feels comfortable asking questions and providing constructive feedback and recommendations.
Internal Procedures and Federal Regulations
- NIH FAQs for Costing of NIH-Funded Core Facilities – this document answers important questions related to federal cost principals and is relevant to any recharge center invoicing federally sponsored research accounts (i.e. not just NIH).
- Allowable and Unallowable Costs when billing Federally funded research projects: Summary or Full Procedure
- CSU Recharge Accounts: 21 and 22 Account Users Guide
- CSU Non-Disclosure Template – must be signed by someone with appropriate CSU signature authority.
- Materials Transfer Agreements may be applicable for submission of samples when intellectual and other property rights are in play.
- Best Practice Guidelines for CSU Core Facilities Accepting Biological Samples
- Best Practice Guidelines for CSU Core Facilities – FDA regulations