Explore the Agenda
8:00 am Registration & Coffee
8:50 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Enforcing Operational Creativity for Asset Management Within Budget
9:00 am Case Study: Creating a Robust Inventory Management System with Limited Resources to Free Up Capacity
- Understanding the importance of simplicity in inventory management to ensure accuracy and reliability in your tracking system
- Leveraging inventory data to facilitate purchasing and meet scientific needs
- Recognizing the operational considerations to take into account when designing your solution
9:30 am Maximizing Equipment Usage & Capacity to Enhance Productivity
- Exploring how to optimize equipment usage towards maximum capacity to ensure operational efficiency
- Maximizing the qualification process to speed up workflows and minimize delays
- Outlining creative ways of enhancing productivity with incubators to get the most value out of your equipment
10:00 am Roundtable Discussion: Advancing Your Asset Management Strategy to Support Operations
- How do you consistently maintain your assets throughout their lifecycle?
- What criteria do you currently use for end of life repairs?
- What are your future plans for your asset management strategy and how are you currently working to get there?
10:30 am Speed Networking & Coffee
Prioritizing Spend & Cutting Inefficiencies to Protect 2025 Budgets
11:15 am Navigating Through Financial Uncertainty & Prioritizing Operational Improvements for Fundraising to Maintain Your Lab
- Working with stakeholders to assess current lab requirements and align on operational improvements to execute into action
- Navigating limited resources across workforce and equipment when awaiting fundraising to maintain running of the lab
- Differentiating lab essentials versus negotiables when creating your proposal for C-suite decision makers to facilitate approval
11:45 am Repositioning Your Financial Model to Make Cost-Effective Decisions & Develop Robust Operations
- Assessing how to consolidate on multiple pieces of equipment and take advantage of service agreements to cut costs and operate lean
- Embedding RFP scoring for high risk and valuable assets to evaluate and compare vendor proposals, making cost-effective purchasing decisions
- Allocating insourcing vs outsourcing operations to make smart investments
12:15 pm Lunch Break
Perfecting Operational Culture to Support Workflows & Safety
1:15 pm Panel Discussion: Advancing Operational Leadership to Support Personnel & Lead Through Uncertainty
- Applying the principles of goal-oriented management to provide continuous junior support
- Exploring metrics tracking in operations to understand where to establish improvements
- Establishing useful mentoring tips to help direct reports reach their full potential to support R&D
1:45 pm Establishing Safety Culture Within Early Operations to Ensure Regulatory Compliance & Functioning of the Lab
- Differentiating mandatory best practices against optional safety measures to prioritize time effectively
- Setting up compliance in association with Cal/OSHA and CalEPA to enforce the correct safety programs and trainings to secure the working environment
- Establishing best practices around chemical labelling and hazardous materials management to collate safety information in the best way
2:15 pm Streamlining New Process Implementation When Shifting Away from Manual Systems to Smoothly Transform Operations
- Understanding how to effectively implement novel asset management software seamlessly to avoid disruptions in operations
- Assessing initial vendor software compatibility to ensure seamless implementation
- Establishing effective and instant onboarding training with your team to ensure a smooth shift to new systems
2:45 pm Afternoon Break & Networking
Refining Your Facilities Expertise to Secure Scientists’ Working Environment
3:15 pm Designing Your Office & Space Planning for Flexibility of the Future
- Outlining the basic principles of design to understand standard requirements and plan ahead
- Designing with creativity in mind to easily adapt to future changes in requirements
- Strategically designing for risk assessments and regulatory requirements
3:45 pm Understanding & Maintaining Your HVAC System to Promote Operational Safety
- Supporting biosafety connectivity to HVAC systems to allow for pressurization adjustments and energy-efficient operations
- Understanding how to support energy savings through smart scheduling and shutdowns to save money
- Deploying internal initiatives to reduce run times for fume hoods to promote operational efficiencies
4:15 pm Adapting Quickly in a Shared Facility to Optimize Resources & Support Scientific Operations
- Outlining points of consideration when working with your landlord in a shared space to minimize conflicts
- Honing in on roles and responsibilities between facility management and tenants to ensure smooth operation
- Navigating limitations in infrastructure and space within your shared working environment to optimize your lab layout