Office for Core Facilities and Technology Platforms

Many, if not most of the research in experimental science depends on the availability of and access to resources, like advanced technologies, databases, sophisticated instrumentation, and the expertise for proper operation. Addressing current challenges in experimental science increasingly relies on interdisciplinary collaboration, which should not be hampered by technical, scientific, organisational or institutional boundaries. In response to the growing complexity of these technologies, these resources have been systematically consolidated within centralised units—commonly referred to as Core Facilities—to ensure efficient access, professional management, and cross-disciplinary integration. These Core Facilities are at the heart of the Bonn Technology Campus here in Bonn.

Although Core Facilities are already established within the university, challenges remain in fully developing their potential and ensuring the effective and sustainable use of these resources. Addressing these challenges involves the optimisation of resource allocation, improvements in operational efficiency, and the promotion of innovation and moderation of change to enable the development of new opportunities. 

In this context, the objective of the office is to enhance the visibility of available resources, strengthen collaboration among Core Facilities, potential user groups, and governing bodies, and to establish a research-friendly administrative framework that supports and facilitates scientific activities.

Areas of Activity

  • Coordination and Strengthening Stakeholder Interaction
  • Development of Financial and Accounting Frameworks
  • Administrative Oversight and User Support for the PPMS Booking System
  • Design and Evaluation of Business Models for Research Infrastructure
  • Networking and External Representation (including this webpage)
Avatar Endl

Dr. Elmar Endl

Head of Unit

Alte Sternwarte

Poppelsdorfer Allee 47

53115 Bonn

Office for Core Facilities and Technology Platforms

Division of Research and Innovation Services

University Bonn


Areas of Activity

  • Coordination and Stakeholder Communication
  • Development of Financial and Accounting Frameworks
  • Enhancement of Operational Efficiency
  • Administrative Oversight and User Support for the PPMS Booking System
  • Design and Evaluation of Business Models for Research Infrastructure
  • Networking and External Representation (including this webpage)
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© Elmar Endl, Uni Bonn

Expertise and Networking

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© Elmar Endl, Uni Bonn

Endl, E (2021) Ausgelagerte Forschung – Zum Service von Core Facilities. Forschung&Lehre 10/21

2017-2024 Core Facilities Business and Operations Coordinator, Medical Faculty, University Bonn
2003-2017 Research Group Leader and Flow Cytometry Core Facility Manager, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University Bonn
1997-2002 Post Doc position, Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Research Center Borstel
1997 PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Physics at the Unversity of Regensburg

 

Member of the Organising Committee
Workgroup 2: "Financial & Legal Framework of Core Facilities"

German Society for Cytometry (Former president of the society)


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© Elmar Endl, Uni Bonn

Jahresmeeting GerBI Team 2 „Financial and Legal Framework of Core Facilities”

20. - 22. May 2025, Hotel Kaiserhof Eisenach

At this year's GerBI Team 2 meeting, participants engaged in a writing workshop to develop a publication series and write the first review article/guide on the topic of core facilities. To this end, publication structures will be developed in small groups, and the content for the review article will be generated from the participants' diverse expertise. Joint in-depth discussions on various topics (e.g. finance, governance) are already preparing future publications in the series.


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© Bastian Dincher, Universität Bremen

Materials Science Core Facilities Synergy Forum 2025

26. - 28. February 2025, MAPEX University Bremen

This workshop brought together individuals who use, manage, and coordinate materials science-oriented Core Facilities across European institutions.Our goal was to foster connections, facilitate discussions, and exchange insights on key topics, including:

  • Scientific advances enabled by Core Facilities
  • Roles and governance structures of Core Facilitie
  • Methods and software for managing facilitie
  • Data management in Core Facilities, e.g. common data formats or ontologies
    Public outreac
  • Collaboration between Core Facilities, opportunities and funding programmes

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© ULMTeC, University Ulm

Ulmer Workshop, Adminstrative Herausforderungen in Core Facilities und Technologie Plattformen

19. -21. November 2024, ULMTeC, University Ulm 

The 6th Ulm Workshop once again brought together 100 participants from academia, management, and administration to discuss various topics related to core facilities. In addition to presentations and engaging panel discussions, the open "Let's Connect" format also enjoyed lively participation and contributed to an intensive exchange of experiences.


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© Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zytometrie

Tutorial on Core Facility Management at the Annual Meeting of the German Society for Cytometry

9. -10. September 2024, DRFZ, Berlin

Facility requirements, management and organisation of users, principal investigators and faculty, finances, cost calculations, publications and acknowledgements, knowledge resources and networks, were just a few of the topics that were discussed. But most importantly this tutorial provided a venue for people to meet and share their experiences in running a core facility, regardless of whether they just started to build up their own facility or if they are considered to be experts in the field.


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