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In a world where scientific advancement often comes with a hefty price tag, EquipSent, an NGO in Zürich, collects unused scientific lab equipment and redistributes it to labs at schools and colleges in low-income countries.
EquipSent helps shape the future of science-lovers who are eager to learn, yet had no chance of doing experiments. During the interview with the marketing member of EquipSent, Elise, who is a PHD student at ETH, she informed us about EquipSent’s tasks, processes, impacts, challenges, and called for support.
How does EquipSent collect and donate scientific equipment? What is the process?
We have six teams in the organisation. Their respective tasks are case managing, marketing, matchmaking, strategy design, corporate relation, and recruitment.
When we receive requests for equipment on our website, we start a case. One person from our case managing team would get in touch and give ongoing support: asking for yearly updates from the lab, help when something breaks, and ensure the equipment is put to good use.
Then, a member of the match-making team checks: does the lab really exist? Do we have what they need in stock? Once, there was a receiver who refused to show us pictures of the lab. We had to decline the case.
After going through legal procedures, we make sure the instruments are clean, wrap them, and ship them. The receiver usually pays for the shipping. However, because of import taxes, it could become unaffordable to the receiver, even when it costs about CHF 100. Sometimes we can half the price and try to help them apply for grants. A recent example was helping a school in Pakistan to apply for grants at the Swiss Pakistan Community.
What is some of the most needed equipment? Who are usually the donors?
Most are biology and chemistry related; UV spectrometers, balances, PH metres, Electrophoresis and PCR machines… It ranges from small pipette to 70kg centrifuges. We take every kind of functioning instruments, except computers.
Our donations are mostly from universities, professors, labs, and medicine companies. Once, Ms. Sarah Springman sent National Geographic magazines. She was the former rector of ETH.
What are the challenges in the processes?
One big challenge is that a lot of cases get stuck halfway, because the receivers cannot afford the shipping fee. Also, sometimes, the donated equipment types don’t correspond to what the receivers would truly need. Awareness is another big hurdle: We need more donors to broaden our impact!
What are the most touching cases that you have had?
There is a school lab in Congo. The photos of the lab before and after receiving the equipment were so contrasting. The lab was absolutely empty, but now there are students, happily doing experiments!
In another case our donations fuelled the research of the department of Chemistry from University of Sarajevo. The students, eventually, could publish their scientific paper! Successes like those keep us motivated.
