Surplus Laboratory Equipment
Once relinquished to property management, most surplus scientific equipment fades away into warehouses or open lots where it is mixed with furniture and more general equipment. Because this is not a regular source of scientific equipment, researchers rarely look there and the equipment that finds its way there is often not claimed. This is true at many campuses across the country. If you visit a surplus site for many universities you will find oscilloscopes mixed in with doorknobs, bookcases, and pipe fittings. The sites are not designed to highlight high value items or to target researchers.
The Surplus Laboratory Equipment Exchange is an evolving program created to transfer high value laboratory equipment within UCSB, and eventually the UC System. The program will identify the supply of laboratory equipment no longer in use, the demand for used equipment, and the minimal administration needed to coordinate transfers or sales. This will reduce the need for new equipment, thus saving money, and will also help the University become more sustainable in its laboratory practices. The program will be web-based, modeled after eBay and Craig’s List, allowing for quick transfers, taking as little valuable time as possible from the lab managers, researchers, and grad students who use it. One hurdle to identifying demand is the passive nature of surplus websites. We may design our website to contact lab managers according to keywords they would have already entered in the system, thus making the notices proactive and specific to their needs.It is often difficult to exchange equipment with grant money within UCSB. Most of the equipment is bought with Federal Funds and Federal Law forbids re-buying equipment using Federal Funds. State funds or start-up grants may be used. This sort of challenge can be addressed through a campus-wide or UC-wide program. The program will work with oversight of UCSB administrators to ensure its success and efficiency.
Give us feedback on whether you would like a high-value surplus equipment exchange program and what it should look like
