Seeding Labs founder and CEO Nina Dudnik, PhD, speaks at Positively Instrumental on March 24. Photo courtesy of Seeding Labs

On March 24, Seeding Labs, a non-profit that facilitates donations of lab equipment to scientists in developing countries, hosted its Positively Instrumental event in Boston where it honored its donors and announced the awardees of the 2016 Instrumental Access program. 

After an intense application process, 16 university departments were chosen out of the 67 that applied. 

“The group represents the most talented global scientists in the developing world who will leverage donated equipment for positive impact in their regions and beyond,” Seeding Labs stated in a release. They'll now be busy organizing the lab equipment shipment process to the 16 recipients.

The awardees include: 

From Latin America and the Caribbean: 

• Universidad Iberoamericana, Department of Research, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lima, Peru
• Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Centro de Salud Global, Tumbes, Peru
• University of Technology, Jamaica, School of Pharmacy, Kingston, Jamaica 

From West and Central Africa: 

• Garden City University College, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
• Redeemer’s University, Department of Chemical Sciences, Ede, Nigeria
• Université des Montagnes, Department of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Bangangté, Cameroon
• University of Ghana, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Accra, Ghana
• University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ho, Ghana
• University of Ibadan, Department of Radiation Oncology, Ibadan, Nigeria 

From Southern and East Africa: 

• Embu University College, Department of Biological Sciences, Embu, Kenya
• Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Department of Biotechnology, Lilongwe, Malawi
• Machakos University College, Department of Physical & Biological Sciences, Machakos, Kenya
• Open University of Tanzania, Department of Life Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• University of KwaZulu-Natal, Department of Pharmacy, Durban, South Africa
• University of Zambia, Department of Pharmacy, Lusaka, Zambia 

As for the five donors who received awards for their work with Seeding Labs in 2015 at Positively Instrumental, those included: 

Corporate Engagement Awards: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the United States and Canada, and DSM Nutritional Products, Lexington, MA. 

Most Valuable Donation 2015: Eisai Inc., Andover, MA, which donated over 200 pieces of lab supplies and equipment. 

Most Donations 2015: Sanofi Genzyme, with five donations received from five different groups. 

Most Instrumental 2015: Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. The company has so far made the most lifetime donations to Seeding Labs with over 1,200 pieces of equipment donated. 

“Positively Instrumental was a tremendous opportunity to thank our corporate partners who helped us achieve our best year for equipment donations in Seeding Labs’ history,” said Seeding Labs founder and CEO Nina Dudnik, PhD, in a press release. “We were also thrilled to introduce the dedicated global scientists who will use the donated equipment to make meaningful scientific advances.” 

Notes from Pittcon 

Back on March 9, I had a chance to speak with Bobby Lillianfeld, director of corporate relations at Seeding Labs, at Pittcon 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. He mentioned that 2015 had been a banner year for Seeding Labs, with their most donations yet, and they’re continuing to grow, adding new staff and updating their website. They’ll also continue to build partnerships with lab equipment manufacturers, build influence in the scientific community, and share more of their awardees' stories. 

All of that will continue to help the company with its mission to get critical lab equipment out of storage and into the hands of researchers who need it.

“It’s a standard in construction to reuse everything when you tear down a building,” Lillianfeld said. “We want to do the same thing in science with reusing equipment.” 

Look for more Seeding Labs updates from us as 2016 progresses!

As always, if you’d like to donate or get involved with Seeding Labs in some way, this is the place to go.