Request for Biology/Biochemistry equipment

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges faced by a Kenyan scientist in acquiring laboratory equipment, particularly PCR machines and centrifuges, that are no longer in use in Western laboratories. The focus is on seeking advice and potential solutions for obtaining this equipment, including considerations of funding and donations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • A Kenyan scientist expresses difficulty in acquiring used laboratory equipment from institutions in the UK, noting that pledges often go unfulfilled.
  • One participant suggests that standard lab equipment is typically not replaced until it is non-functional, making it challenging to obtain used items.
  • Another participant recommends seeking funding or donations to purchase new equipment rather than relying on used items.
  • Several participants mention Seeding Labs, a non-profit organization that collects unused lab equipment to support science in developing countries, as a potential resource.
  • A later reply confirms interest in consulting Seeding Labs for assistance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenges of acquiring used laboratory equipment and suggest alternative approaches, but no consensus is reached on the best method to obtain the equipment.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependency on institutional policies regarding the disbursement of used equipment and the potential difficulties in finding equipment in working condition.

Who May Find This Useful

Scientists and academics in developing countries seeking laboratory equipment, as well as organizations involved in supporting scientific research in these regions.

ENM
Hi, I am a Kenyan scientist/academic and in dire need for equipment that is no longer in use in laboratories in the west. I have without success written to manyinstitutions in the UK requesting to acquire the equipment they no longer use eg old PCR machines, Centrifuges etc, but I have not successfully acquired any equipment because more often than not, the labs that pledge to us, normally forget about us shortly after pledging to us.
We (myself and others at my university) have bought afew bits and pieces but it is becoming too difficult for afew of us to carry out lab work concurrently. Please advice me on how to go about this. Thank you.
 
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I wouldn't know where to begin to get that sort of equipment for you. Those are pretty standard, basic lab equipment that people don't replace until it's no longer functioning. In the US, institutional rules about how used equipment is disbursed (i.e., offered to existing labs at the same institution first) would make it hard to get it shipped elsewhere.

You would probably be better off trying to find a funding source or donations that would allow you to buy a new item shipped directly to you than trying to find a used item in working condition to be donated. Perhaps there is assistance through some of the scientific societies of which you or your colleagues are a member?
 
You may be interested in working with Seeding Labs (http://www.seedinglabs.org/), a US non-profit organization that is trying to support science in the developing world in part by collecting donations of unused lab equipment. I think they are already working to support Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.
 
Ygggdrasil said:
You may be interested in working with Seeding Labs (http://www.seedinglabs.org/), a US non-profit organization that is trying to support science in the developing world in part by collecting donations of unused lab equipment. I think they are already working to support Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.

Thank you so much for this site. I will definitely consult them.
 
Thank you
 

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