Streamlined Steps for Securing Campus Space for Your Academic Startup
Ready to move your research from the lab bench to the marketplace? OSU Advantage Accelerator provides a clear, straightforward process to help you secure temporary commercialization space right here on campus. As the demand for temporary lab space continues to grow among OSU researchers launching early-stage startups, Innovation Advocates (campus representatives dedicated to supporting OSU’s innovation ecosystem) have collaborated with University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations (UFIO) to identify and secure suitable short-term lab space.
This collaborative work to make short-term lab space available directly supports OSU’s Strategic Plan 4.0 (Action 15: Strengthen the support system for innovation and entrepreneurship). Together, we've created an efficient pathway to match your startup with lab spaces for periods ranging from six to 18 months.
How to Request Short-Term Commercialization Space on Campus
At time of outside grant/funding application submission:
- PI to discuss space need with Dept. Head and/or Dean and gain approval for proceeding.
- The Department or College will utilize the fee book to access the cost of the space, equipment and materials to be used in the project. These costs will be marked-up twenty (20) percent for University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations (UFIO) process management time and effort.
- PI to submit Space Allocation Request form (download the Word file) with suggested use of space, defining needs to include proposed space, equipment, supplies, activities to be done, timeline, pricing (typically based on fee book) and end date. This is supplemented with a marked up floorplan shading the areas being requested. The new form along with a floorplan sketch should be submitted via Docusign to the appropriate college space point of contact who will be able to run a quick private activity check using OSU’s new envision software and then to David Jacobs, Space Allocation Manager, UFIO who will manage a deeper review to ensure the proposed activity can be conducted in the proposed space.
- Once reviewed by UFIO, these forms are routed via Docusign for approval by the appropriate Dept. Chair, ADR and/or Dean.
- At time of indication to PI that funding for these activities is likely, PI re-routes the approved documents with any updates for the proposed space, equipment, supplies, activities to be done, timeline, final pricing and end date of activities to David Jacobs at UFIO via Docusign.
- UFIO approves or revises and approves and returns to PI.
- Use of Facilities agreement finalized by UFIO and PI.