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)
Dr. Elmar Endl
Alte Sternwarte
Poppelsdorfer Allee 47
53115 Bonn
Office for Core Facilities and Technology Platforms
Division of Research and Innovation Services
University Bonn
Expertise and Networking

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 |
German Society for Cytometry (Former president of the society)

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.

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

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.

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.