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    The James

    OSUCCC Administration

    OSUCCC Space, Operations, & Projects (SOP)

    Equipment – Purchases, Repairs, and Usage Policy

    OSU Equipment Policies:

    Repairs and purchases

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    • Labs are financially responsible for maintaining and repairing their own equipment.
      • This includes purchases made with start-up funds or any other OSUCCC provided funds.

    • The Space, Operations, and Projects (SOP) team will maintain and pay expenses for shared equipment only.
      1. The Cancer Program must either have purchased the equipment or formally agreed to an ownership/custodial transfer of the asset. A signed Equipment Transfer Form is necessary.

      2. The equipment must be accessible to all CCC members (universally shared), not just to one or two labs, a particular building or floor, or a single program or department.
        • One exception is Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs). If a BSC was purchased by a lab and exclusively used by this lab, they are responsible for repair costs. If the OSUCCC purchased the units, we will cover the costs.

      • To be classified as a CCC shared asset, the following rules must apply:
    • The CCC reserves the right to remove assets from its shared inventory at any time, and the following factors may influence decisions on whether equipment is to be retained or replaced:
      • Overall demand for the equipment.
      • Repair costs resulting from user neglect or misuse of equipment.
      • Investments in alternative technology instead of keeping older or unreliable equipment.

    • The Space, Operations & Projects (SOP) team keeps an updated list of all CCC shared assets.
      • Start-up or department funds may be used for these items, but labs are responsible for repairs.
      • Back-up/Emergency -80˚C freezers are available throughout our buildings, but these units must be used only when necessary and as outlined on the posted instructions.
      • The CCC (with approval) may contribute towards the purchase of common lunch/break refrigerators if the unit will be utilized within CCC-designated space.
      • This list can be found on our website (https://ccc.osu.edu/sop) under the Shared Equipment dropdown.

      • Incubators, freezers (-80˚C, LN2, and-20˚C), and refrigerators are all examples of items that the OSUCCC will not provide as shared equipment.

     

    EQUIPMENT USE/ACCESS POLICY

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    • Who can use CCC shared equipment?
      • They work in OSUCCC designated space or their PI is an OSUCCC member.
      • They have been properly trained and understand how to use the equipment.
        • In some cases (e.g., LI-COR Odyssey Imagers), documented training by the manufacturing company is required before software and/or equipment access will be allowed.

      • Building infrastructure, user needs, and space limitations often dictate where shared equipment is placed. Regardless of location, users may access shared equipment if:
    • Reagents and consumables
      • Exceptions may include reagents that are absolutely necessary for the equipment to function.
      • One other exception may include calibration kits (e.g., for StepOnePlus units and MagPix). The kits may be purchased by the CCC, but calibrations are performed by users.

      • Consumables (plates, dishes, cuvettes, pipette tips…) and reagents needed for shared equipment must be purchased by the labs.
    • Use common sense!
      • For simplicity, labs should use nearby equipment whenever possible.
      • Use online or printed sign-up calendars to reserve time when required.

     

    EQUIPMENT OWNERSHIP

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    • All assets purchased with university funds while a researcher is affiliated with OSU belong to the university if the researcher leaves.
      • If OSUCCC funds (e.g., start-up and retention dollars, internal awards…) paid for the equipment, the assets remain under the control of the Cancer Center.

    • If a sponsored research project/grant was used to purchase assets and this has expired, the equipment will remain in the possession of the OSUCCC Administrative Office.
      • If a research project/grant was used to purchase equipment AND the grant is still active (not expired) AND the grant is transferring with the researcher, then assets purchased with these funds can be taken to the new institution.

      • One exception to this rule:
      • Researchers and/or lab staff should never give or gift equipment to other labs, and they should not assume they can take equipment without prior approval. For one, all assets must be tracked for auditing purposes; second, labs may not have the right to do so.

      • Requests must be made and approval granted through the SOP team. Complete the online request form at the below link. Select “10 – Offboarding of Faculty” for the Request Type.
        https://onlinerequest.facsur.com/osu/d04ee36e-6724-4901-a295-bbc4eef72391