Donate

We will also consider accepting a single joint application from multiple departments if there is a collaborative effort and a compelling reason why that would be the best option for your situation. Applicants wishing to submit a joint application should email us with a brief description of their situation to request pre-approval.

No. Seeding Labs recognizes that legitimate needs for equipment exist in other places, but Instrumental Access operates in LMICs only.

Yes. Your country will be treated as upper-middle income for the purposes of Instrumental Access.

In 2018, this special situation applies to the following countries:

Antigua and Barbuda; Chile; Palau; Poland; Seychelles; St. Kitts and Nevis; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay

One of our core beliefs at Seeding Labs is that scientific talent exists everywhere and that all scientists deserve access to the tools of modern science.

However, as a US-based NGO, where we are allowed to ship is limited by US export regulations. We cannot work in countries where we might risk violating US law. In addition, there are a few countries where it is currently too dangerous, impractical, or prohibitively expensive for us to operate.

Unfortunately, we cannot make exceptions. We do review the list annually and sincerely hope for a future where exclusions become unnecessary. 

The countries that are ineligible in 2018 are:

Afghanistan, Burma, Central African Republic, Chad, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.

No, absolutely not. There is no monetary cost associated with the application process. The only commitment we require at the time of application is that the applicant institution is willing and able to pay the program fee if selected to participate.

Awardees should budget for the following costs in addition to the program fee:

• All costs associated with the customs clearance process (e.g. pre-inspection costs, clearing agent fees, any applicable duties and taxes);
• Transportation of the equipment from the port of entry (an ocean port) to the university;
• Electrical adapters, transformers, frequency converters, and any other items or services required to make the equipment compatible with your available power supply (many items in our inventory are configured for 120V/60Hz);
• All costs associated with installation, calibration, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment on an ongoing basis;
• Any additional software, accessories, components, reagents, etc. that are required for use but not included in the donation (more information about what is and isn’t included with each item will be available when you select equipment so that you can take this into account);
• Any wire fees, banking fees, or other costs associated with payment of the program fee in US dollars.

Yes. We will not require payment until you have selected your equipment so that you can verify that the shipment will meet your needs and provide satisfactory value.

If your university has a procurement office, we strongly recommend that you check with them for advice about the import regulations and exemptions that may apply to your situation.

Generally, no. A commitment from the university Vice Chancellor or equivalent to pay the program fee if selected to participate is required as part of the application process.

Fundraising from external sources prior to application is permitted, but we ask that you please contact us at application@seedinglabs.org to discuss your plans before taking any public action that involves Seeding Labs.

The contents of your shipment are determined by your department in collaboration with Seeding Labs. First, you tell Seeding Labs what your exact equipment needs are. Our corporate relations team then seeks donations of equipment that you requested, along with similar equipment, to fill our inventory. Once our inventory is sufficiently stocked, Seeding Labs then opens our entire inventory to you via a website that works like an online retailer.  You can browse our inventory and select the items that best fit your needs. Our staff supports your selection process by helping you to find the equipment that you need, making recommendations, and helping you to locate technical information and support.

It depends on the item. Anything that the donor provides to us, we’ll pass on to you, but it isn’t always possible for donors to include everything necessary for use. Software in particular is often difficult for donors to transfer. The details about what is and isn’t available with each item will be available to you during equipment selection.

2) Points. Briefly, we assign a “points” value to each item in our inventory based on our typical supply and demand, as well as its monetary value. For example, a case of consumables or glassware, which we have in high supply, might be 10 points, while an HPLC system might be 300. Each awardee gets the same allocation of points to shop with. The purpose of this system is to ensure equal access and avoid depletion of our inventory.

No. We do not provide lists of this kind because our inventory fluctuates frequently as equipment donations are received and shipments to other awardees are fulfilled. What we have in the warehouse right now is not the same as what will be available next month or next year.

If you would like an educated guess on the likely availability of a few specific items, please contact us.

• Sample Biology Teaching Shipment
• Sample Health Sciences Research Shipment
• Sample Pharmacy Shipment

We do not accept items that are obsolete or customized to the extent that they could not easily be re-purposed.

We verify with our donors that all items are fully functional at the time of donation, and we also perform functional tests on equipment as feasible in our warehouse. Please note, however, that some items cannot effectively be tested in a warehouse setting.

Generally speaking, no, although there are some exceptions. Our inventory is most suitable for biology and chemistry labs. We can sometimes accommodate chemical engineering, bioengineering, and other engineering fields that are closely related to biology and chemistry, but it depends on specific equipment needs. If you have questions, please contact us. 

We don’t usually receive paper copies of manuals with our donations, but we’ve created an electronic library of manuals for reference.

No. We do not provide reagents.

Yes. The form can be accessed and submitted via the online application portal.

Applications are first reviewed by our staff for eligibility and completeness. The ones that pass this initial check are reviewed and scored by a team of expert reviewers.

The highest-scoring applicants will be invited to participate in an interview with our staff, and final decisions will be made shortly afterward.

You can expect to hear whether your application has been selected to advance to the interview round about 2 months after the application deadline. All applicants will receive notification of their status at that time.

If you are invited to interview, more information about decision timing will be provided.

Yes. We are shifting to a model where we run two applications cycles per year. The current application cycle will be open from 1 May to 27 July 2018.

The next cycle is expected to be open from approximately September 2018 to February 2019.

The following factors will be considered as part of the review process:

1. Applicant’s need for equipment to accomplish specific research and education objectives
2. Applicant’s potential for effective use of requested equipment
3. Anticipated impact of equipment use
4. Applicant’s ability to work effectively with Seeding Labs

2018 awardees will be assigned to a three-week equipment selection period during the 2019 calendar year. We stagger the selection periods throughout the year. We ship as soon as possible after equipment selection is complete and payment is received. Partners typically receive their equipment 2-6 months later, with variation based on distance and shipping schedules.