Call for operational support for core facilities 2025–2028

Application

The application is made in KI Prisma The application opens at 10.00 on 26 February and closes at 14.00 on 9 April 9 2024.

The application is written in Swedish or English.

The application should include:

Background information

• Applicant: Core facility director/manager
• Core facility's full name (Swedish or English) as on ki.se and any abbreviation
• Core facility's organizational domicile (KI: department or Region Stockholm: organizational part)
• Contact information and link to website (for established core facility and if available for new core facility)
• Popular science summary 2000 characters

Activities during the current grant period 2022–2024

For new core facilities that have no ongoing activities, this part is omitted.

Maximum 4000 characters and uploaded tables.

The description of the activities during the previous grant period should include under separate headings:

• Methods and techniques provided as a service during the current period and their use at an overall level. To be specified in a table with regard to user¹, organisation (e.g. institution), method/technique and invoiced cost.
• Scientific deliverables. To be specified in table with respect to user1, organization (e.g. institution), user's scientific articles or equivalent. What is reported should give a representative picture of the activity. Select a maximum of ten scientific articles that specifically indicate the activity's contribution to research within KI/Region Stockholm. Any co-authorship from the core facility must be justified.

1) "User" means the head of a unit that conducts research, such as a research group at KI according to the institution's definition.

Activities for the period during which operating support is applied for

The description of the activity should include under separate headings:

Part 1 (max 8000 characters)

• Strategic importance of the core facility for KI–Region Stockholm: Describe the strategic importance of the core facility for KI and Region Stockholm and what this assessment is based on.
• Technologies and methods: Describe the technologies and methods proposed to be provided as a service during the period covered by the application. How is continuous technology and method development and competence and knowledge building ensured?

Part 2 (max 4 000 characters)

• User data: Describe future user data and what this assessment is based on.
• Similar service at another facility: Describe, if applicable, whether the need addressed in the application corresponds to similar service provided in another way to researchers at KI/Region Stockholm. How is any overlap minimized? Duplication of activities at several geographical nodes must be specifically justified.
• Coordination: Describe, where applicable, the coordination with core facilities that provide similar services within KI - Region Stockholm, nationally and internationally.
• Goals: Specify goals for the core facility for the period covered by the application and three goals to follow up in the fall of 2026.

How the activities are conducted, including budget

Maximum 8000 characters and any uploaded tables. The budget is submitted via an Excel template.

The description of the activity should include under separate headings:

• User fees: Explain the basis on which user fees will be set. List charges for the service to be provided and give example(s) of the proportion of the actual cost paid by the user.
• Prioritization: Explain how prioritization between users will be done.
• Communication/Information: Describe how the core facility will communicate its activities.
• Training: Describe how the core facility plans to participate in training within and possibly outside KI/Region Stockholm.
• Clarification of budget items:
  • Justify budget items broken down into:
    • Personnel (specify roles)
    • Other operations
    • Depreciation
  • Motivate what is planned to be financed with user fees and what is proposed to be financed from the current call.
  • Justify the size of the user fees as a proportion of the total cost of the activity.
  • Justify any opening balance.
• Sustainability, gender equality and industrial relations: Describe how the core facility works with sustainability, gender equality and industrial relations.

Handling of the application

Assessment of the application

The Infrastructure Board will make an overall assessment based on:

1. Performance during the current grant period
2. Strategic importance for research within KI/Region Stockholm
3. Service at the technological/methodological forefront
4. Documented need including number of unique users
5. Construction of user fees
6. Coordination between core facilities
7. Future plan that includes clear goals that can be followed up.

Conflict of interest rules in accordance with the Swedish Local Government Act (1991:900) will be applied in the evaluation work.

If the infrastructure board preliminarily recommends support at a lower level than the amount applied for, a dialogue is initiated between the head of department/director and the chair of the infrastructure board to see what activities can be conducted. Only then does the Infrastructure Board decide whether to grant or reject the application.

A guideline is that a core facility can only receive maximum support at the current level. Otherwise, the offer of service provided must be more extensive than in the previous call and this must be clearly stated.

Approval of the application

Payment of funds is subject to an agreement between the head of department and the chair of the infrastructure board regarding the commitments of the head of department and the board. This includes, among other things, the head of department's possible closure of the core facility during the ongoing grant period.

Instructions for the activities' annual report and financial reporting will be sent out at the end of each grant year.

Decisions

Decisions on allocated funds are made in September 2024 by the Infrastructure Board.

Decommissioning support

Core facilities that have received support in 2022–2024, but where the support ceases as a consequence of decisions following the 2024 call, shall be updated for decommissioning support. The decommissioning support shall consist of 2/3 in year 1 and 1/3 in year 2 after the core facility support ceases, based on the operating support for the activity in the year before it ceases. Decommissioning support presupposes that the research infrastructure continues to provide service during the time that decommissioning support is received, adapted to the reduced support and the conditions of the activity. The infrastructure board decides on support after a dialog with the head of department/head of operations responsible for the activity.

Contact

For questions, please contact spocinfrastructure@ki.se