Reopening During the Unprecedented: The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities Community Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Response. Part 2: Efforts to Effectively Ramp Up Core Facility Activities.

Shared research resources, also known as core facilities, serve a crucial role in supporting research, training, and other needs for their respective institutions. In response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, all but the most critical laboratory research was halted in many institutions around the world. The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities conducted 2 surveys to understand and document institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from core facility perspectives. The first survey was focused on initial pandemic response and efforts to sustainably ramp down core facility operations. The second survey, which is the subject of this study, focused on understanding the approaches taken to ramp up core facility operations after these ramp-down procedures. The survey results revealed that many cores remained active during the ramp-down, performing essential COVID-19 research, and had a more coordinated institutional response for ramping up research as a whole. The lessons gained from this survey will be indexed to serve as a resource for the core facility community to understand, plan, and mitigate risk and disruptions in the event of future disasters

Establishing a National Strategy for Shared Research Resources

President Biden’s renewed push to develop cures for society’s most devastating diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s, in tandem with infrastructure investments to “Build Back Better,” represents an opportunity to harness our nation’s critical shared research resources (SRRs). For over 40 years, SRRs have played a key role in accelerating biomedical research discoveries and innovations by providing widespread access to cutting-edge technologies, services, and scientific expertise. Yet a national strategy that addresses how to leverage these resources to ensure new treatments, cures, and economic vitality is noticeably absent. A national strategy for SRRs—led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—is crucial to advance key national initiatives and enable long-term efficiency, coordination, and economic impact of these critical assets