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The UC Santa Cruz Research Infrastructure Commons (RIC) Program

The Research Infrastructure Commons (RIC) program consists of a group of research facilities and other resources that have made available routine services to industry users for commercial purposes under commercial rate structures and business-friendly terms.

RIC participating research facilities

Chemical Screening Center (CSC)

Core Manager Name: Beverley Rabbitts
Core Manager Email: brabbitt@ucsc.edu
RRID Number: SCR_021114
RIC Services: library formatting, cytological profiling, biochemical assays, imaging assays and high-content screening, and skill training.

Cryogenic Electron Microscopy Center (CryoEM)

Core Manager Name: Vitor Hugo Balasco Serrão
Core Manager Email: vbalasco@ucsc.edu
RRID number: SCR_021755
RIC Services: imaging, data collection and data processing.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Facility (NMR)

Core Manager Name: Hsiau-Wei (Jack) Lee
Core Manager Email: hlee74@ucsc.edu
RIC Services: NMR structural elucidation.


More information for industry users

More information for recharge facilities and campus participants

Industry users

The RIC program services are ideally suited for R&D-intensive entrepreneurs, startups, and some established companies that benefit from the RIC business-friendly standardized agreements that enable companies to access UC Santa Cruz Research Facilities and Services.

RIC agreement business-friendly terms, IP ownership, and contracting process

  • Subject to the straightforward terms and conditions of the RIC Research Facility Routine Services Agreement, the university won’t claim an ownership interest in any IP, materials or data that results from industry use of the RIC program services. 
  • Additionally, the university won’t reserve the right to use any IP, materials or data resulting from company use of the RIC program services.
  • The straightforward, business-friendly agreements are intended to be non-negotiable and electronically executable (e.g., via DocuSign).

RIC program facilities and services support startups

  • Startups and emerging growth companies can access RIC services instead of building and developing costly infrastructure to support running these same services in-house. 
  • The RIC program facilities support startups participating in incubator and accelerator programs as well as emerging companies throughout Northern California.
  • Each facility's web page provides information about its instrumentation and services; you may have to reach out to the facility manager to inquire about less common services.

Accessing RIC program services

  • Industry users can quickly and easily leverage RIC services via a business-friendly standardized agreement that can be expeditiously executed by the Industry Alliances team of the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub.
  • Review the sample UC Santa Cruz RIC Services Agreement for routine services.
  • Contact the facility you want to work with to request the agreement customized to that facility. 

For any other questions, email hub@ucsc.edu. 

Recharge facilities and campus participants 

The RIC program leverages any potential excess capacity of research facilities by streamlining the process for companies to make use of these campus assets at established recharge rates, which can contribute to the facility's financial stability.

Recharge facilities must apply to have their service(s) included in the RIC program. Recharge services that are approved for the RIC program can take advantage of standardized, business-friendly, and readily executable agreements that streamline the contracting processes.

Access the RIC Services Application Form.

Supporting the university’s mission: The revenues that the RIC program services generate for the facilities can be reinvested in maintaining and upgrading research instruments, services, and other research-supporting needs. This can strengthen the university’s research mission by helping to train students and researchers, attract and retain faculty, and contribute to the university’s service mission by supporting our community’s young companies, the jobs they create, and so on.