Research Lab Setup Toolkit
Resources to pull forward lab planning and information gathering
Quickly setting up research labs is critical for enabling faculty research productivity and career advancement. Yet most institutions struggle to complete lab renovations in a timely manner.
As a result, researchers’ projects are often disrupted or delayed, which can stall their progress toward tenure. And in the most extreme cases, inefficient lab setup may even cause faculty to accept positions at other institutions.
The resources below are designed to help facilities, research, and academic leaders initiate cross-unit conversations about faculty lab renovations as soon as possible, proactively gather information about researcher lab needs, and better anticipate lab renovation timelines and costs.
-
9 is minimum number of months needed to complete most full lab buildouts
Faculty recruitment notification policies
Rice University’s Faculty Startup Process
Deans notify Facilities about a potential hire as soon as they receive a request for a new faculty line. Then the search committee updates Facilities throughout the recruitment process.
University of North Texas’s Research Space Assignment Administrative Policy
Department chairs submit a research space request prior to launching a search, which provides the vice president for academic affairs and vice president for research and innovation with the info they need to coordinate renovations with Facilities.
University of Georgia’s Faculty Search & Hire Process Checklist
Units notify and provide Facilities with a description of potential faculty space needs as soon as a new job posting is approved.
University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Faculty Search Activities Guide
After submitting an initial position request, deans must contact the provost to discuss facilities. Then the provost will consult with design & construction management and facilities planning. The infrastructure support group—which includes representatives from EHS, animal care, IT, and campus planning—also participates throughout the entire candidate recruitment process.
Lab needs checklists for researchers and administrators
University of North Texas’s Researcher Checklists
Recruits are required to complete two lab checklists throughout the recruitment process.
Short version: Recruits fill this out prior to on-campus interviews
Long version: Recruits fill this out after receiving a formal offer
Rice University’s Lab Renovation Questionnaire
Recruits complete this checklist during the recruitment process and prior to receiving a formal offer.
University of Texas at San Antonio’s New Researcher Recruitment Forms
When a college/department makes an offer to a recruit, they complete a form that Facilities uses to identify lab space. After a recruit accepts an offer, the college/department formally reserves the lab and Facilities assesses the space for needed renovations. Then the new hire completes a checklist to provide input on lab setup.
Interviewing resources for campus leaders
EAB’s Lab Setup Interview Guide
Includes recommendations for questions to ask researchers (especially new recruits during campus interviews), information to share with them, and guidance on facilitating conversations about lab needs.
EAB’s Expectation-Setting Conversation Guide
Helps project managers obtain valuable information about project goals and pull forward challenging conversations about realities of limited budgets.
Stakeholder education materials on renovation timelines and costs
EAB’s Guide to Creating Stakeholder-Centric Process Map
Offers step-by-step guidance for creating a public-facing process map that explains the major stages of a capital project and stakeholder responsibilities.
University of Texas at Austin’s Renovation Project Procedures
Estimates the number of calendar days required for each phase of a renovation project.
Cal Poly’s Minor Construction and Renovation Process
Provides an estimated timeline for each renovation step and guidance on how far to plan ahead.
EAB’s Cost and Funding Source Cheat Sheet
Defines the most important and potentially confusing components of capital project costs.
University of Arkansas’s Construction Project Cost Estimating Guidelines
Estimates the costs for new construction and renovation projects, including a sample budget for a laboratory building.
University of North Texas’s Estimating Resources
Provides general information and tools to help stakeholders better understand the estimating process and potential project costs.
This resource requires EAB partnership access to view.
Access the tool
Learn how you can get access to this resource as well as hands-on support from our experts through Strategic Advisory Services.
Learn More