VUMC Core Administration

Annual Rate Approval & Implementation Schedule

Cores may implement new rates as early as July 1 of each year. All rates must be approved by September 30 of each year with an effective date no later than November 1. Any non-compliant cores may be asked to cease operations, and the iLab site may be disabled until approved rates are on file. Core rate workbooks should be submitted to the Office of Research the first week of June to allow time to review and approve the proposed rates in time for the June 30th deadline.

Rate Calculation Guidelines:

• Rate Calculation Methodology:  All rate documents should show the calculated full cost of the services and the calculated billable rate. The full cost should include any grant or institutional funding that offsets the cost of each core service.  The calculated billable rate should reflect only the direct expenses paid by the core’s recharge center.  

• Rate Change Communication: As core rates change, users should be notified via email. Internal users should have access to view core rates. All pricing in iLab can be set to ‘visible’ to allow users to view current rates. Contact VUMCcores@vumc.org to review or adjust your iLab site settings.

• Federal Salary Cap: Any salary amounts over the cap cannot be budgeted to a core recharge center. Core Leaders should consult with the Office of Research on appropriate ways to manage salary over the cap and core cost centers.

• Fringe Rates: Only the federal fringe rate can be recovered in core rates.

General Template: Service Fee Workbook

Reporting tools are available in BI Launch Pad to facilitate financial and administrative oversight of the shared resources and core facilities. 

Cores Ledger Summary and Review Report

• This report provides a YTD snapshot of the core's performance, such as the current cash balance, expenses and revenue metrics, and the accounts receivable balance.

• BI Launch Pad >> General Ledger Category >> Variance & Trend Analysis >> Cores Ledger Summary and Review

GL Center Trend Cores Report

• This report provides expense and revenue totals on a per-month basis for a given fiscal year. Transactional activity is displayed by account and account groupings.

• BI Launch Pad >> General Ledger Category >> Variance & Trend Analysis >> GL Center Trend Cores Report

Monthly Invoicing and Revenue Report

• This report is useful in managing a core's external business. Users should use the input controls to drill down to the 13155 account code.  All booked invoices and payments received can be reviewed using this report.

• BI Launch Pad >> General Ledger Category >> Transactional >> Monthly Invoicing and Revenue by Division

Reporting tools are available in Workday to facilitate financial and administrative oversight of the shared resources and core facilities. 

Details coming soon

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Guidelines for Research Core Operations should be reviewed carefully before planning a new core operation.

All requests to open new cores must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Research.  Following approval, a new cost center worktag will be assigned by the Department of Finance, and the core can begin billing in the VUMC iLab System.

New Core Creation requires approval by:

1. Either the center director or chair of the department of the core's home department
2. PI of the grant program (in cases of shared resources associated with specific sponsored projects)
3. Office of Research

New Core Requests should include the following:

1. Service Fee Workbook outlining the annual budget, usage, customer list, and general core information.
2. Service Center General Information Form (Exhibit A)
3. Capital Equipment Inventory (if applicable)

Resources:
  New Core Planning Workbook (Initial Budget)
  New Core_Service Fee Calculation Workbook

​​Contact Susan Meyn in the VUMC Office of Research for assistance in developing a business plan and setting service fees for VUMC cores.

SOP for Managing Data Retention Requirements in Core Facilities

Maintaining clear & accessible Core data policies advances rigor & transparency and supports investigators in their data management and sharing efforts. This includes compliance with the 2023 NIH data management & sharing policy and institutional data policies. 

OOR has created a template to help Core leaders think through data management considerations and create a ~2 page Data Management SOP. The goal is for each Core to:

• Define what constitutes data (& metadata)
• Have clear policies/procedures for data transfer
• Have clear policies/procedures for data retention and deletion
• Describe any long-term data storage and/or sharing services and associated costs
• Adhere to the policies they set in place

Core Data Management Policy Template
We encourage everyone to review the template. Use of the template is not required, but the same considerations should be addressed in the Core's policy. 

OOR will review the draft data management policies and provide approval and/or recommendations. The data management policy should ultimately be made available to Core users through the Core’s website or another easily accessible location.

Contact amy.f.martinez@vumc.org with any questions.