Open Kitchen Labs: an accessible chemistry lab for startups

Open Kitchen Labs is an initiative of Monalisa Goswami from Spark904 and UvA chemical researchers Joost Reek and Chris Slootweg who are both active in the field of sustainability and circularity. Spark904 has been offering companies access to analytical equipment and expertise at the UvA science faculty since 2018 and Open Kitchen Labs now provides a welcome extension. It revolves around fully equipped, flexibly available lab space and includes basic equipment, consumables, and expert support. “We are mainly targeting start-ups in circular chemistry and sustainability,” says lab manager Arthur Scheerder. “Setting up a lab is expensive, and often such start-ups don’t need full-time access to a lab. Open Kitchen Labs is available on a prompt basis, for periods ranging from a few days to several months, and at attractive pricing.”

According to Joost Reek, faculty professor and coordinator of the UvA research focus Sustainable Chemistry, Open Kitchen Labs is important for the eco-system at Amsterdam Science Park aimed at bringing innovative ideas to maturity and stimulating entrepreneurship and valorisation. “The Demonstrator Lab offers researchers and students the first opportunity to discover whether their idea can lead to a product or service with relevance to society. In the next phase, they can now go to Open Kitchen Labs, and further develop it as an independent business. In this way, we facilitate ideas in different stages of development.” Reek expects that the small businesses in Open Kitchen Labs will stimulate the initiatives of the Demonstrator Lab, in which Chris Slootweg is also involved. “Conversely, the companies in Open Kitchen Labs will benefit from the scientific knowledge of the eco-system at Amsterdam Science Park,” Reek says.

Subscriptions like they have at the gym

The idea behind Open Kitchen Labs is to remove barriers for everyone, Goswami says. “On the one hand, you have advanced startups that want to improve their process, for example. Having their own lab is still a bridge too far, but they don’t want to outsource research to commercial labs either. On the other hand, you have companies doing their first tests in garages or small business premises, without many facilities and often not really safe. We are open to everyone.”

What does Open Kitchen Labs offer?

• Fumehood, workbenches, and safe storage of chemicals (also in refrigerators).
• Glassware, general lab consumables & disposables.
• Basic laboratory equipment (stirring plates, rotary evaporators etc) and standard analytical equipment.
• Access to advanced research infrastructure (through Spark904).
• Support with ordering chemicals and other laboratory resources.
• Waste management and disposal.
• Daily assistance of lab manager.

Furthermore:

• Meeting rooms and shared office space for participating startups.
• Community events and networking opportunities.

The sharing concept makes the Open Kitchen Labs all the more affordable, says Scheerder. He explains a kind of ‘gym approach’ with different subscriptions that provide access to the lab space, facilities, and support. The ‘flex’ subscription involves truly shared lab space for just a few days a week. The ‘complete’ subscription provides the user with their own lab and storage space for the entire week. With the ‘premium’ version, even continuous access to advanced university infrastructure via Spark904 is guaranteed. The latter is arranged on a project basis with the other subscriptions.The exact rates are negotiated with the user, Scheerder says. “For a simple exploratory project with a relatively short duration, you can think of something around a thousand euros. That amount increases as you need more space, more time, and more facilities. But in all cases, the costs are much, much lower than when you invest in your own lab space as a company.”