Open Science Shop vendors play a crucial role in distributed manufacturing of open science hardware
Open Science Shop is a global collective of open science hardware developers and manufacturers working together to develop a distributed manufacturing network of open science hardware tools. Within this network, vendors play a very specific and important role. Vendors manufacture, sell and provide customer/user support for products in collaboration with open science hardware project developers.
Vendors and project developers meet regularly in the form of working groups. Working groups provide invaluable opportunities for vendors to work directly with the project creators and also to network with other open science hardware businesses. Vendors in Open Science Shop also benefit from organic marketing by project creators and users through community forums, social media, conferences and publications.
Projects that are part of the Open Science Shop network already have an established and growing community of users and are looking to increase accessibility through the support of a global, collaborative, distributed manufacturing network.
Open Science Shop Vendor Listings
One of the main goals of Open Science Shop is to make it easier for scientists, educators, and other open hardware users to find a local vendor for projects like OpenFlexure Microscopes and Mothbox instruments. This is currently achieved through our vendor listings.
Open Science Shop
To protect both the project developers and end users, we do expect that vendors will meet the following expectations:
- Consistently manufacture a high-quality product
- Follow any updated Quality Control guidelines from the project creators
- Provide excellent customer support
- Maintain communication as needed with Open Science Shop and project creators
- Any vendors not meeting these minimum standards may be removed from vendor listings
New Vendor Onboarding Steps
We are always excited for new vendors to join the network, especially in under-resourced regions where access to open science hardware tools is especially challenging. If you are interested in becoming listed as a vendor of an Open Science Shop supported product review the following steps.
Join a Working Group
These are monthly project-led meetings for vendors to meet with developers. Generally focused on project updates, marketing opportunities and other project-specific discussions. It’s also a great place to meet other OSS vendors.
Manufacturing and testing
Review the project documentation and bill of materials and start to source inventory. If you need assistance with sourcing parts, reach out to the OSS community via the working group. Where applicable, follow any quality control requirements in the project creators documentation.
Prepare your product page or other relevant website links
For the vendor listings you will need to create a product listing or other relevant website content for customers to view your product or services. Make sure to include original high-quality product images e.g. photos of kits, assembled microscopes or Mothboxes. Some other steps you should be thinking about at this stage are pricing, shipping and customer support.
Review the Memorandum of Understanding
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a community document developed by members of the Open Science Shop community in collaboration with Project Developers. Signing the Memorandum of Understanding is not a requirement for vendors and is not a legally binding document. However it is a show of good faith by both parties (project and vendor) and is useful for setting out expectations for vendors.
Here is a quote from the Purpose section of the OpenFlexure Microscope MOU:
"This Agreement outlines a good-faith understanding between the OpenFlexure Project (“the Project”) and [Vendor Name] (“the Vendor”) to encourage responsible, transparent, and community-oriented commercialization of products derived from the OpenFlexure Microscope. It is intended to help the parties clarify their expectations of each other and not to impose any additional restrictions on use of outputs from the OpenFlexure Project beyond those contained in open source licenses (CERN-OHL-S v2 for hardware; GNU GPL v3 for software) under which the OpenFlexure Microscope is licensed. Under the terms of those licenses, anyone is free to make and sell products based on the OpenFlexure Microscope without signing up to this good-faith agreement"
You can download the sample OpenFlexure MOU document at the link below.
Fill out the Vendor Application Form
Once you are ready to be listed as a vendor, complete the relevant vendor application form. Currently we have one for the OpenFlexure Microscope and expect to be adding one for the MothBox project soon.
Next Steps
Once we have received your application form we will add you to the listings and send a copy of the optional Memorandum of Understanding. Once your listing is posted, be sure to check for accuracy and contact OSS in the future if any changes are needed. New vendors are also encouraged to introduce their business through the Open Science Shop newsletter. All vendors are encouraged to continue to attend relevant Working Group meetings and/or follow project developers to stay current with any project updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to fill out the vendor application form to be listed as a vendor?
Yes, to be listed as a vendor on the OSS site you do need to fill out the application form.
What are the minimum expectations of Open Science Shop listed vendors?
- Consistently manufacture a high-quality product
- Follow any updated Quality Control guidelines from the project creators
- Provide excellent customer support
- Maintain communication as needed with Open Science Shop and project creators
Do I need to sign a Memorandum of Understanding?
No, it is not mandatory to sign the Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the Vendor network. The document is a community-developed document developed by members of the Open Science Shop community and is a show of good faith by both parties (creator and vendor) and is and not a legally binding document.
How do I participate in profit-sharing?
Each project has a Memorandum of Understanding with information on the different ways to contribute to a project, whether that is financially or otherwise. Contact Open Science Shop if you have any questions (info@openscienceshop.org).
I’m interested in selling OpenFlexure/Mothbox kits in my region. Do I need to join Open Science Shop?
Not necessarily, though there are lots of benefits to joining such as being listed on the OSS site and access to the Working Group meetings.
What if there is already a vendor in my region but I am still interested in selling OFM/MothBox?
There may already be one or multiple vendors in your region. In this case you may want to consider how you will differentiate your products, services or target audience (e.g. focus on a specific audience segment not currently served). You can also consider if there will be enough of a market for additional vendors and whether it would be beneficial to collaborate with a vendor to coordinate e.g. purchasing parts.
Are there any additional obligations or requirements to Open Science Shop once I'm listed?
No, just being listed means you are a valued member of the Open Science Shop community! However, for OSS to be successful we would encourage deeper relationships and contributions, but that is entirely voluntary.
Additional Resources
Jeff Delacruz
Desirae Odjick
