To optimize the efficiency, increase the productivity, promote interdisciplinary research, facilitate training and education of junior scientists, streamline transfer of knowledge and expertise, the VRC has organized its technical resources around an infrastructure of expert core facilities. To meet the increasing demands of performing competetive multidisciplinary research, the VRC has, over the years, set up the following core facilities: mouse clinic, aquatic facility (zebrafish & tadpoles), mouse facility, histology & imaging core, gene manipulation core, Molecular Biology Facility, genetics core, etc. Each of these facilities is managed by a senior expert technician (belonging to the permanent VRC staff, often for >10 years), who supervises 2 to 4 junior technicians, is responsible for the organization of the work planning and daily management, maintains and updates standard operation procedures (SOPs) and databanks, and offers insight and advise on protocols and techniques to junior scientists; the facilities are supervised by senior scientists. Junior scientists (predoctoral and postdoctoral students, Master's students) interface with these core facilities and the senior scientists and, depending on their project, interact with one or (usually) several core facilities. VRC lab members have access to a technology platform of available SOPs and databanks on an intranet server. Junior scientists present and discuss their work at weekly lab seminars and give quarterly overview seminars. An in-house “VRC newsletter” informs and updates all VRC lab members of new initiatives, recruits, scientific publications, press releases, awards, grants (submission, deadlines), and other scientific and social issues.