Why use the RIC Facility?

High-technology research equipment is often expensive to maintain, and complicated to use. If the instrument is not used frequently, an investigator may take weeks of valuable research time to become reacquainted with the equipment and may waste reagents and precious samples in the process of relearning equipment use. The RIC Facility maintains equipment, provides access for investigator use and operates any complicated equipment for the investigator.

Fees for instruments are instituted such that if an investigator were to use the instrument continually throughout the year, the cost to the user for that year would be about 3-4% of the purchasing cost for that piece of equipment.

Thus the investigator would have to use the instrument continually for about 25 to 30 years before reaching the amount of money it would have cost to purchase the instrument outright at the beginning of the 30 years.

If an investigator takes into account expenses due to equipment purchasing cost, equipment maintenance cost, repair cost, and time, it is economically advantageous to use the equipment provided in the RIC Facility rather than to purchase, maintain and operate the equipment individually.