5 MORE Ideas To Make Your Grant Go Further
If you missed Part 1, click here.
As we get to the end of the calendar year, many of our suppliers review their prices for the following year. With global inflation on the rise, we are keen to work in partnership with our research colleagues to help stretch their funding.
- Reagent choice – Monoclonal antibodies are often available from a number of different sources and sometimes re-branded, but the clone number is usually a good indicator that if they are the same for a given target, the antibody is likely from the same original source. There may be concentration changes, but you may be able to find a more cost-effective alternative, and it’s not just primary antibodies!
- Find out how to place off-catalogue orders – yes, it’s a pain, but purchasing portals can limit your choice and make it hard to take up offers. As 2BScientific work with a wide range of suppliers, an off-catalogue order can help you use smaller suppliers, or allow you to take advantage of offers.
- Big project? – Some suppliers will offer a discount for a scheduled regular delivery, which may help lock in prices, but it also helps your suppliers’ resource planning – to make sure what you want is there when you need it!
- Novel alternatives – If your lab dehydrates and mounts a lot of sections, a mounting media like VectaMount Express might be worth consideration. It’s compatible with most non-aqueously mounted substrates, but just needs a wash in isopropyl alcohol (99%+) for a few minutes before mounting. Not only does this save the alcohol and clearing chemical series, but also saves time waiting for the sections to clear for mounting!
- Can you get more out of your labware? – Reducing waste is always good and better for the environment too. Do you NEED a fresh pipette tip or test tube for this step now? Can you batch prepare reagents for the week rather than making them daily, so you don’t need to use another tip. Maybe you can wash out & reuse a tube for a solution made daily, changing it every few days rather than a fresh tube daily? Of course, saving a pipette tip is not worth it if it may cause contamination or invalidate your results!
And a reminder of our key tip from the first blog:- Enlist your account manager!
If you’re short on time as well, why not ask your account manager to see if they can suggest alternatives for you. It’s always worth asking if they can make an offer for you, especially if you’re ordering a number of items.