What is a core facility?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) define core facilities as "centralized shared resources which provide access to instruments, technologies, services, as well as expert consultation and other services to scientific and clinical investigators. The typical core facility is a discrete unit within an institution and may have dedicated personnel, equipment, and space for operations. Given the rapid growth of life science research, core facilities are becoming more of a integral means to access cutting edge instrumentation and expertise. Shared resources also help foster a collaborative research environment and are an integral component of the scientific community."