In 2001, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) developed an innovative approach to inventory management by creating a web-based application called UNHCEMS®. The program, designed by UNH’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) and Research Computing Center (RCC), enables an institution to manage its chemical inventory and provide the necessary training needed to help ensure safety.
Using a barcode-based system, UNHCEMS can record and manage information about the quantity, location, and properties of chemical stock, biological agents, radioactive materials, and hazardous waste. UNHCEMS automates record-keeping and waste removal requests, allows faculty to safely and efficiently track and share chemicals between lab rooms, and gives fire departments the ability to view the location of dangerous chemicals and other hazardous materials to increase their safety during emergencies.
Following the successful deployment of the system at UNH in 2001, it was clear that UNHCEMS had great potential to help other colleges and universities improve inventory organization and safety on their campuses. To date, UNHInnovation has helped facilitate UNHCEMS licenses to almost 30 higher-education institutions and generated close to $1M in royalties for the university.
We are excited to share that UNH issued its first non-academic UNHCEMS licenses to two New England-based companies in the Spring of 2016. This entrance into the corporate market represents new commercialization opportunities and a chance to increase growth and development of UNHCEMS. In October 2016, UNH’s OEHS and RCC will be hosting its 2nd annual User Group conference, which provides users an opportunity to obtain in-depth training and to collaborate on future UNHCEMS development.
UNHInnovation continues to work with the UNHCEMS team to facilitate licensing agreements and seek out new opportunities to promote the innovative tool.
Matt Simon
Licensing Manager, Physical Sciences
