Computational core facilities play a vital role in enabling molecular life sciences, and the number of such facilities has grown considerably. There are many relatively inexperienced managers of core facilities, who often have to juggle their own research projects with the development and operation of services. This can be exceptionally challenging, not least because scientific impact tends only to be recognised and rewarded for research. This EMBO Practical Course will provide an opportunity for aspiring new managers of core facilities, especially those with one foot in the research camp, to learn from experienced core facilities managers how to build a framework for the future development, resourcing, operation and impact assessment of their core services.

The EMBO Practical Course will not be a ‘classical’ bioinformatics course, but it will focus on the business development and resource and data management aspects of running a core facility. It will have a high proportion of practical content in which participants solve problems relevant to their own core facility.