[labnetwork] Fwd: Cost of infrastructure operating and maintenance costs

[Ian Harvey]

Dear Vito, Noah, John and colleagues,

Thank you for your question and inputs on this topic.

I would like to further explore the financial implications of what makes facilities sink or swim in the next UGIM, June, 2016.  

A very practical aspect potentially benefitting all facilities, is the data and information that helps each of us justify our existence and our subsidies to our benefactors and stakeholders.  Comparisons to other facilities should be enlightening and benefit the annual ritual of budgeting and groveling.

With that in mind, UGIM '16 is seeking a group of collaborators who would be willing to design, assemble a formal survey, and then present the compilation of best/typical practices with regard to facility subsidies and personnel subsidies, perhaps as a ratio to operating expenses a/or on-campus and off-campus revenues.  We expect this discussion will help all facilities convey the message of the real costs of these facilities.  The goal would be to provide information sufficient for each facility to convey to their own institution an expectation for an on-going base budget, rather than having to grovel for a subsidy every year, each time facing the scorn of not being "self-sustaining" in revenue.  What does self-sustaining even mean, given the extensive facilities subsidies that we usually take for granted, per the below thread?

We have enjoyed multiple presentations in past UGIMs regarding comparative analysis of user facility billing systems, cost recovery and cost of research.  There will be room for one more talk on that subject in UGIM '16 (Dennis Grimard and Sandrine Martin have volunteered).  Otherwise we are dedicating a full session to the general topic of financial sustainability, including the survey of institutional operational subsidies, and also generating new sources of revenue in the face of declining state and federal subsidies.  

With just under a year to go to UGIM '16, such a systematic study will require coordination, planning and execution.  Perhaps this could be the basis of a document that could be updated for every UGIM?  Any volunteers?

thanks,

—Ian

********************************************
Ian R. Harvey, Ph.D.

Associate Director
Utah Nanofab 
Cleanroom Fabrication and Surface Analysis & nano-scale Imaging
801/585-6162 (voicemail)
www.nanofab.utah.edu

Chair, UGIM '16, SLC, Utah
http://ugim.nanofab.utah.edu/



Begin forwarded message:

From: Noah Clay <nclay at upenn.edu>
Subject: Re: [labnetwork] Cost of infrastructure operating and maintenance costs
Date: July 7, 2015 4:38:20 PM MDT
To: Vito Logiudice <vito.logiudice at uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: "labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu" <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>

Vito,

I believe that the vast majority of university fabs recover operational costs through fee income.  This obviously varies tremendously by facility, research thrusts, geographic region, etc.  Offline, I'd be happy to share the profile of our user base and open the books for our operations at Penn.

Usually, a core group of staff salaries are covered by hard funds and others through grants or additional fee income on revolving two year appointments.  

Residual funds are reinvested in the operation or absorbed into the governing school, provost's office or similar.  Central plant facilities, as mentioned below, are typically not covered by the fab.  

Frankly, the latter would sink my ship.

Best,
Noah Clay

Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility
University of Pennsylvania 
Philadelphia, PA

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 7, 2015, at 12:29, Vito Logiudice <vito.logiudice at uwaterloo.ca> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> I would like to come up with a reasonably accurate estimate of the infrastructure operating and maintenance costs associated with our 6750 sq.ft. cleanroom. If you've completed such a study in the past I would greatly appreciate hearing from you in regards to the methodology you used at the time and any references or rules of thumb that may have been useful to you. 
> 
> Using the same terminology used by our own Plant Operations group, the following are the variables I would like to include in my study.  Some of these seem vague to me personally but I suspect this is likely due to the fact that this type of analysis falls beyond my scope of experience. 
> 
> -Building 
> -Central Plant 
> -Mechanical distribution 
> -Electrical Distribution
> -Grounds
> -Electricity
> -Heat
> -Water
> 
> In addition, I would also like to hear from the community as to whether their respective administration expects their fab operating revenues to cover these particular infrastructure costs. Specifically, I’d like to know whether you are charged for these types of costs by your internal plant operations or finance groups.
> 
> Thank you very much for any insights.
> 
> Best regards,
> Vito
> --
> Vito Logiudice  P.Eng.
> Director of Operations, Quantum NanoFab
> University of Waterloo
> Lazaridis QNC 1207
> 200 University Avenue West
> Waterloo, ON           Canada N2L 3G1
> Tel.: (519) 888-4567  ext. 38703
> Email: vito.logiudice at uwaterloo.ca
> Website: https://fab.qnc.uwaterloo.ca
> 
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