Charge:  The Marine Science Institute’s (MSI) Resources Committee is charged with considering any material resource matters of interest to MSI and making appropriate recommendations on these matters to the MSI Director. The Resources Committee has latitude in taking its own initiatives, but is expected to provide the Director with advice on issues related to the planning, acquisition, and allocation of MSI space, facilities, and material resources used for research, administration and outreach functions.

Principles: Space assignments in the Marine Science Research Building (MSRB) and other facilities managed by MSI are made according to the following principles:

1. MSI assigned space shall maximize the benefit of building resources to research and education projects administered by MSI in support of MSI’s principal investigators (both professional researchers and ladder faculty). 
2. MSI space shall be assigned to individual principal investigators and to groups of principal investigators requiring collaborative research space for research projects administered through MSI. 
3.  Space assignments will be dynamic and respond to the changing needs of research conducted through MSI. 
4. Occupants of MSI assigned space are expected to contribute to MSI’s intellectual mission. 

Governance Structure: The MSI Resources Committee shall be chaired by the Deputy Director of MSI and include at least two MSI PIs, either professional researchers or ladder faculty, who serve a renewable three-year term. MSI’s MSO will serve as an ex-officio member of the Committee. Requests for MSI space or material resources from MSI investigators shall be directed to the MSI Resources Committee via the MSI MSO.  The Committee shall consider all requests in a timely manner and provide written recommendations regarding space allocation and duration of occupancy to the MSI Director. Members deemed to be in conflict with a request under consideration by the Committee shall not participate in the Committee’s deliberations for that request. Decisions on allocations of MSI assigned space will be made by the MSI Director. If necessary, the Director will consult with the Vice Chancellor for Research, with ultimate responsibility falling to the Executive Vice Chancellor.

Legacy Space: UCSB programs, institutes and departments occupying space within the MSRB in support of research not administered by MSI do so at the discretion of the MSI Director in consultation with the Vice Chancellor for Research, with ultimate responsibility falling to the Executive Vice Chancellor.

Evaluation criteria: The MSI Resources Committee shall develop and use formal criteria to evaluate new requests for MSI space and the need for continued use of MSI space. The Committee will consider the following criteria when making recommendations on requests for MSI space, facilities and material resources:

1. Need and justification for a particular type of MSI assigned space (e.g. office, lab, graduate student or postdoctoral desk space, seawater workroom, fume hood), how it will be used, and who will occupy it (e.g. number of paid student and non-student MSI employees as fractional FTEs housed in the space).
2. The amount of MSI space currently assigned to the requester relative to that of other occupants of MSI assigned space
3. The amount and type of non-MSI assigned space available to the investigator.
4. Investigator’s UCSB appointment type (e.g., Researcher, Faculty, Project Scientist, Specialist).
5. Level of MSI activity (e.g. awards, service)

These criteria will be updated as needed by the MSI Resources Committee, and submitted to the MSI Director for approval.  

Implementation: An inventory of the use of all space in the MSRB and other MSI controlled space will be periodically conducted by the MSI Resources Committee with the help of MSI administrative staff. The MSI Resources Committee will review the inventory of space allocation and use this information for longer-term space planning and make recommendations for the allocation of space as needed to maintain optimal use of MSI’s resources.

Download Policy