The UNH Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization (ORPC) recently traveled to Orlando, Florida for the 60th Annual Meeting of the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) to promote our homegrown chemical inventory management system UNHCEMS®. 

UNHCEMS® software is a web-deployed chemical inventory management system developed in the fall of 2001 by software engineers at the UNH Research Computing & Instrumentation Center in conjunction with campus Environmental Health & Safety and with input from the Durham Fire Department. UNHCEMS® records and manages information about the quantity, location and properties of chemicals, biological agents, radioactive materials, and hazardous wastes throughout campus.  UNHCEMS® software has been endorsed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as a “Best Management Practice” and is currently licensed by UNH to nearly 20 different higher education institutions across the United States. 

After continuing to receive positive feedback from our licensees, ORPC once again hit the road to encourage additional colleges and universities to evaluate and implement our system. Prepared with promotional materials, portable barcode scanners, UNHCEMS® iPad demonstrations, and the always popular candy dish, the UNH team consisting of ORPC Licensing Manager Tristan Carrier and RCI software engineer Philip Collins engaged with industry and academic attendees from across the country. 

Many attendees confessed to using spreadsheets to manage their chemical inventory and were genuinely impressed with the possibilities that UNHCEMS® software could provide. In particular, attendees from smaller institutions came into the exhibitor hall with specific interests of implementing a chemical inventory management system. The smaller institutions were very enthusiastic about our tiered pricing structure and the flexibility to either host a solution here at UNH or at their own institution, administered by their own IT professionals. Features garnering the most attention were the ability to know exact quantities of a specific chemical in a given lab and the ability to mark and search for surplus chemicals.  Over time, these features can result in less waste and reduced costs. Using UNH as an example, internal estimates are that UNHCEMS® saved the Durham campus close to $80,000 the first year it was used in reduced waste fees and more efficient ordering of materials.

More information about UNHCEMS® software can be found at http://cems.info.sr.unh.edu. For licensing opportunities or further questions about UNHCEMS®, please contact Tristan Carrier at Tristan.carrier@unh.edu or 603.862.2022.