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Beginning April 1, expanded access to world-class scientific resources will make scientists at the ���� and Colorado State University independently and jointly more competitive when applying for sponsored research funding. Under an innovative new agreement, the universities will share their world-class core research facilities and equipment, maximizing collaborative research opportunities between the two institutions.

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Access the shared databases

• ��ñ���� Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation��
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Temperature-controlled sample chamber and X-ray detector used to probe the microscopic structure of biological macromolecules and physical materials (Materials Research X-Ray Diffraction Facility, Department of Physics, ����).

The strategic partnership between Colorado’s largest research universities roughly doubles scientific discovery tools available to researchers at each institution, enabling collaboration, cutting equipment and facilities costs, and attracting new funding for future studies. The agreement enables the two universities to pursue new funding opportunities together and enhances the collective economic impact of research in the state.��

“This agreement enables both universities to focus on our current research strengths while being strategic about investments in research facilities and equipment,” said Joe Dragavon, director of ��ñ���� Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation. “Researchers at each institution now have access to nearly twice as many resources as they do now, with new opportunities just an hour down the road.” ��

Scientists at ���� and CSU can access the combined shared resource database starting on April 1 through their respective university research offices. Scientists pay an internal rate to use equipment and buildings from their research grants to offset maintenance and replacement costs. Researchers at ���� and CSU will access shared facilities and equipment with the same low internal rate structure.��

"This partnership provides research opportunities for faculty at both universities and creates a framework for new partnerships that likely would not have been realized without this collaboration," said Melissa Reynolds, assistant vice president for Research and Technology at CSU. "It will drive scientific discoveries, innovation and collaboration between our two universities, bringing together some of the world's greatest minds in scientific fields."

Research facilities at the institutions include sophisticated, high-end scientific equipment and buildings. New facilities and equipment may be added to the agreement through an amendment process.��

���� is currently adding 17 advanced core research facilities to the pact. Examples include Colorado Shared Instrumentation in Nanofabrication and Characterization, Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium, Stem Cell Technology and Resource Facility, Material Instrumentation and Multimodal Imaging Core, and the Flow Cytometry Shared Facility.��

CSU facilities included in the agreement number 23 advanced core research facilities, including the Human Performance Clinical Research Lab, Plant Diagnostics Clinic, Experimental Pathology Facility, Analytical Resources Core, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, the Next Generation Sequencing Core, EcoCore, Infectious Disease Research Center, Drone Center, and Geospatial Centroid.

The partnership, which is expected to bring additional long-term benefits to the region, was first explored in 2025 to expand opportunities and support researchers at Colorado’s leading higher education institutions.��

Representatives from ��ñ���� and CSU worked out details after planning the agreement following initial conversations between ��ñ����’s Joe Dragavon and Alexa Van Dalsem and CSU’s Melissa Reynolds at the 2025 ABRF National Meeting, the leading core facility-focused association in the U.S. Other states with similar agreements include Texas, Iowa, Georgia, Oregon and Arizona. Dragavon and Reynolds hope that other Colorado university campuses will eventually be added to the agreement to further expand opportunities and benefits for researchers and Colorado.

Magnetic Resonance scanner for high end imaging for neuroscience (3T Siemens PrismaFit MR scanner, Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium, Institute of Cognitive Science, ����).

Colorado State University’s Foothills Campus is home to numerous infectious disease research facilities.

Colorado State University’s mass spectrometer at its Analytical Resources Core Facility.

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