Science Dating
Need to conduct an experiment but lack technical capability? Got spare capacity in your lab or some sadly underused, budget-busting bit of kit? You guys should meet…
Science Exchange, the brainchild of Elizabeth Iorns, Ryan Abbott and Dan Knox, originally popped up on the radar in August 2011 and has been garnering attention from the media as well as the research community ever since. Now, with a user base of over 5000 scientists at over 400 institutions, its mission to “improve the efficiency of scientific research by making it easy for researchers to access the global network of scientific resources and expertise” is taking good shape.
Science Exchange, the brainchild of Elizabeth Iorns, Ryan Abbott and Dan Knox, originally popped up on the radar in August 2011 and has been garnering attention from the media as well as the research community ever since. Now, with a user base of over 5000 scientists at over 400 institutions, its mission to “improve the efficiency of scientific research by making it easy for researchers to access the global network of scientific resources and expertise” is taking good shape.
The service acts like a dating agency between researchers who need access to, say, mass spectrometry, RNA microarrays, or next generation DNA sequencing and providers. These service providers could be anywhere, from your neighborhood DNA sequencing lab to (potentially) the microgravity research facility on the International Space Station. And while the focus is currently on pre-clinical life science research the marketplace is steadily expanding.
This service, unlike the majority of online dating agencies who try to hide fees, is transparent: it’s free to subscribe, free to search and even free to list yourself as a provider. Researchers requesting services are charged a nominal one-time fee per transaction at the time of purchase, which is added automatically to the service provider’s estimate – the price the researcher originally sees.
Researchers follow four simple steps:
1. Search for a service from over 1495 currently listed providers.
2. Request estimates from your choice of providers or submit an open request to providers across 200 institutions.
3. Communicate with the chosen provider directly using the platform.
4. Monitor the status of ongoing projects via a project dashboard, with notifications of new status updates and the ability to ask questions or easily exchange data.
There are plenty of fish in this sea.
For more information and to sign up click here.
Rich Whitworth completed his studies in medical biochemistry at the University of Leicester, UK, in 1998. To cut a long story short, he escaped to Tokyo to spend five years working for the largest English language publisher in Japan. "Carving out a career in the megalopolis that is Tokyo changed my outlook forever. When seeing life through such a kaleidoscopic lens, it's hard not to get truly caught up in the moment." On returning to the UK, after a few false starts with grey, corporate publishers, Rich was snapped up by Texere Publishing, where he spearheaded the editorial development of The Analytical Scientist. "I feel honored to be part of the close-knit team that forged The Analytical Scientist – we've created a very fresh and forward-thinking publication." Rich is now also Content Director of Texere Publishing, the company behind The Analytical Scientist.
