Starting a Lil Lab!
Starting a Lil Lab!
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We are excited you would like to start a Lil Lab. We hope to empower you through sharing a few resources, tips and tricks to help you get started.
What is a Lil Lab?
Lil’Labs can be anything you dream up, but at their heart, they’re all about building community in a way that’s fun, respectful, accessible, independent, and safe. Whether it’s sharing meals, hosting workshops, or teaming up with community partners, Lil Labs are where connections happen. They don’t have to break the bank either—what matters most is sharing cool science and art materials and letting everyone bring their knowledge, data, and skills to the table.
Before starting your application, it will be helpful for you to review our community values and our brainstorming activity. Application questions are copied below for your convenience.
Brainstorming Activity
Brainstorming Activity
After reading our community values and if this is still something you are interested in, we encourage you to visit our brainstorming activity website to help you come up with and clairfy an idea for your Lil Lab.
Application Questions
Application Questions
Expand this tab to preview the questions we will ask you to answer in our application form
Now that you have a rough idea of what your interests and passions are, I encourage you all to read this document to gain a better understanding of what our core values and policies are: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ahpsUvHIGCeS6CQJm-c0DrSu9I-UDuLo-ARjUsrRvdg/edit?usp=sharing (same link as before).
Here are the long answer questions you will be asked to fill out on our application
1. Who are you and why would you like to build a Lil Lab? Briefly describe the community you serve. Why would this community benefit from a Lil Lab? What existing access is there to similar resources?
2. Describe the Lil Lab you would like to create and where it would be located (can be mobile!). How does this Lil Lab reflect your community's knowledge, needs, and interests? How have you engaged your community in creating this vision? How will you sustain your Lil Lab over time?
3. How would your Lil Lab specifically uphold our Lil Lab values?
After you have clarified your thinking and have a more solid idea — we would like you consider what potential safety concerns you Lil Lab may have. (These long answer questions will be asked on our application)
1. **In a worst case scenario, how could your Lil Lab harm human health and/or the community? What is your plan to reduce that risk to a level encountered in daily life?** For example, a Lil Lab could accidentally spread misinformation, result in improper handling of materials, violate data privacy, contain unprotected sharp things, etc.
2. **In a worst case scenario, how could your Lil Lab harm the environment? What is your plan to reduce that risk to a level encountered in daily life?** For example, a Lil Lab could contain an invasive species, a toxic chemical, create waste, etc.
3. **What local, regional, national, and international laws or standards do you imagine might apply to your Lil Lab? How will you ensure that your Lil Lab is compliant?** For example, researching and checking that your Lil Lab meets local, state, federal and international laws, developing safety protocols, consulting experts, offering an opportunity for the community to give feedback on potential risks (and benefits!), updating safety plans as needed etc.
4. **Who might be impacted by the Lil Lab? How will you communicate potential risks and benefits to them?** Lil Labs can have impacts on the community beyond those who directly engage with them. It’s important that Lil Labs build positive relationships and trust in the community, in addition to being safe.
Tips for Launching a Lil Lab
Tips for Launching a Lil Lab
Physically building your Lil Labs:
Physically building your Lil Labs:
Here are some different ideas for all budgets to help you get started:
- $0-50: Get creative with upcycling! Hunt for a pre-loved cabinet or bookcase from your home, neighborhood, or sites like OfferUp and FreeCycle.
- $50-100: Give a second-hand structure new life with fresh paint
- $100 and up: Starting from scratch? No problem!
- Our Lil Lab Stewards Bria and Nasa have found the perfect ready-made option on Amazon.
- Tech-savvy? Our Steward Corinne loves using Maker Case to create custom laser-cut designs. She's even shared her laser cutting files to help you get started!
Check out these awesome templates from Little Free Library: https://littlefreelibrary.org/start/build-a-little-free-library/
Choosing a location:
Choosing a location:
Ideally, choose a location that is both easily accessible and experiences significant foot traffic from the community you aim to serve. You can also place your Lil Lab on private property by a school, park or community center — places you may already have access to. If facing logistical hurdles, you can ask local nonprofits or community organizations by reaching out and requesting permission to host your Lil Lab at their site. Many established nonprofits already have the necessary biosafety and legal permissions in place, allowing you to leverage their infrastructure and streamline the Lil’Lab setup process.
Funding Strategies:
Funding Strategies:
We are all fans of the website experiment.com. This website is a like a GoFundMe, but for science! Additionally, a member of our flagship global cohort, Elliot, has published this article: https://thatmre.medium.com/list-of-funding-sources-for-your-biotech-project-so-you-dont-have-to-move-in-with-your-parents-9d5bd761216a, which provides a great launch pad for finding financial resources. You can apply to grants from community foundations, ask local nonprofits, businesses or organizations about wheter they might provide some money to build a Lil Lab, and personally ask members of the community, start a GoFundMe, and host workshops. One of our stewards has a donations box inside of their Lil Lab.
Legal/Biosafety Considerations
Legal/Biosafety Considerations
Were there any approvals or permits required before setting up your Lil Lab?
Yes, please review the Lil’Lab Policy. We ask that all Lil Labs follow local laws. During the application process we will ask you to fill out a risk assessment. We will work with you to address any safety concerns.
Which organizations or agencies should be approached before starting a Lil’Lab? What do permits look like?
Permits can vary depending on your location and your particular idea, so it’s always best to check with your local officials for guidance. Pro tip: Connect with other established non-profit groups in your area who’ve navigated the permit process before. They can be a great resource for sharing advice.
Other Tips and Tricks:
We ask that every Lil Lab visibly displays an email and Lil Lab ID with our logo, where anyone can leave feedback. This provides an additional layer of safety and accountability, so that the community can flag any potential risks and also give feedback about what is going well!
Another tip is to visit your Lil Lab once a week or so to collect money from your donation box (if you choose to have one). This will also give you an opportunity to check the contents of your Lil lab and ensure that everything is safe.
What are some resources I could consult to help me design a safe Lil’Lab?
We recommend you consult the Community Biology Biosafety Handbook linked here: https://openbioeconomy.org/blogpost/community-biology-biosafety-handbook/
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