Core facilities – our offer

Definition and organisation

By core facility we mean an organisational unit providing expensive research equipment, resources, and services at a fee to a large group of researchers. A core facility can be locally administrated at KI or be a part of a regional, national or international research infrastructure. 

How to book a core facility service

Academic and clinical researchers are free to contact our core facilities directly to book equipment and services. Contact details and information on booking routines can be found on the webpage of each core facility, respectively.

Many of our core facilities use a booking system in iLab, but not all of them. To use the iLab booking system for core facilities, you need to have a digital SWAM-ID from a Swedish university, which at Karolinska Institutet equals the KI-ID. It is also possible to register for an account as an external user. 

If you use a core facility for the first time, it might be a good idea to schedule a personal meeting or call to discuss study design and available equipment, before you make a formal booking. Please, check out the web page of the core facility of your liking to learn more!

External use of KI’s core facilities

Most of our core facilities can be used by organisations and individual researchers outside KI, provided there is some form of collaboration agreement. A number of our core facilities can also offer equipment, services, or goods without a contract or collaborative research agreement, in accordance with the Swedish governmental ordinance (2022:1378) on fees for research infrastructure.

Find out more about external use of our core facilities

What to expect as a core facility user

Core facilities at KI operate on a fee per service basis. Policies regarding services, access, fees, and prioritisation must follow KI guidelines and requirements. From core facilities listed at the central KI website and on our contact portal iLab, clients should expect the following:

• Clear and updated information on what services and equipment the facility provides.
• How to apply for/book a service, if there is a waiting list, and if so the expected delay of service.
• Information on fees and routines for invoicing.
• Information on visiting address, as well as the name and contact details to the scientific director, facility manager and/or staff.
• A written agreement describing the services and experiments that you have ordered from the facility, as well as expected date for delivery and your own commitments as a client towards the facility. Or as an alternative, that the relationship between client and facility is described in detail at the facility’s website.
• That the core facility provides services or devices to customers for a fee, without any demand of co-authorship, or the like.