All facilities gathered under one roof

Some questions to… Malin Kele, senior lab manager at the iPS Core Facility and coordinator of KI Facility Expo 2017 in Aula Medica on 14 February. A large number of core facilities linked to KI are taking part in the fair, which is being arranged with the support of the Board of Research.

First of all, what is a core facility?
"Exactly as the name might suggest, it provides specialist expertise to researchers, be it costly, high-tech equipment, a highly specialised method or a service that requires a great deal of experience and specially trained staff. Such a core research facility can offer support to researchers at different points in a project, from design and implementation to final processing and storage."

What will you be doing on 14 February?
"This is when KI’s first university-wide facility expo will kick off, gathering for the first time over 35 facilities under one and the same roof. There will be two levels of exhibition space with representatives from the different faculties. There will also be a speakers' corner with presentations running all day long."

Who is the fair for?
"Everyone working with research at Karolinska Institutet and the hospitals we collaborate with in the Stockholm area. Researchers outside KI and other interested parties are also welcome. It’s just as important for doctoral students to know what services are available as it is for senior researchers."

This is an event that you at iPS Core Facility have instigated. Why?
"We felt there was a need for a forum where facilities can exhibit themselves. After all, their most important function is to serve other researchers. An expo like this is an effective way for people to connect with many such facilities at once while finding out about others they didn’t even know existed! We ourselves use services from other facilities in our work, and so know how hard it is to find out which ones are available, what they can offer and how to find them. Not all of them are listed on the KI website and they are dispersed over at least two campuses and two hospitals."

Two weeks to go. What are you most looking forward to?
"To seeing all the facilities gathered in the same space and, of course, the crowds we hope will turn up. It promises to be a quarter of an hour well spent for anyone who looks in!"