A Study of Small and Mid-Sized Multi-User Facilities for Materials Research

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed study will assess the state of smaller multi-user facilities within the materials research complex in the United States. It will consider methods for optimizing the use of existing resources, including consideration of structural strategies and actions to provide services more efficiently, such as consolidation of smaller facilities into regional centers. The study will consider university and national laboratory facilities and possible some facilities in the commercial sector. The study will also examine the ways other countries manage smaller facilities. The assessment will include: (1) a definition of such facilities and their role in the scientific complex; (2) collection of data on, and an analysis of, the usage, structure, and cost-effectiveness of facilities currently in use; (3) an analysis of verious models for facility operations, their effectiveness, and appropriate metrics for success; (4) an assessment of opportunities for instrumentation research in the context of facilities; (5) the educational role played by smaller facilities; (6) the optimization of investment in smaller facilities, including the reallocation of existing resources; and (7) the development of long-range models for the support of regional centers.