man there are so many ways you can get started its both exciting and daunting at times. As you move forward your unique path will become more apparent. Input based on my experiences in Melbourne.
-- I guess the basics would be to have some sort of forum/social media/website (or all of them) for people to be able to stay up to date with whats going on re updates, events, etc...
Passion and drive trump experience/knowledge in the early-medium stages, definitely a marathon vs a sprint mentality.
Be realistic about what you ask from others in your community, everyone is a volunteer, and life has a way of coming in to make things difficult so be understanding. A lot of strangers promised a lot of things but in the end you can only really expect from yourself, still open your arms to everyone :) Eventually, you will have a team that is in it for the long haul who have eachother's backs and its absolutely amazing.
talk to everyone you can about this too, whatever is your connection to biohacking/diybio should come from the heart, so that when you speak about it, people feel what you're talking about. There are so many ways biohacking can help make science, the economy, education better in Aus its not funny. Students, professors, creatives, talk to erbody. Whenever some one asks "hey how you doing", I always go into a mini pitch :P but it's interesting and people are generally happy/interested to hear about how you plan on making the world a better place, which we are right? Try to unify those garage scientists you guys mentioned, stay active, be strategic in how you reach out to people, and people will start to seek you out.
This is how BioHackMelb started, simple random reddit post (didn't have a huge impact, but it was a start, and thats the main thing!)
https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/2s505k/biohackerdiybio_community_in_melbourne/
https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/2s505k/biohackerdiybio_community_in_melbourne/
Start asking people like lab managers or building managers (whoever is in charge of equipment at unis, biotech, or research organizations) if they have stuff they don't need like glassware, tools, equipment etc. explaining the cause that its going to. I've always gotten good feedback from ice breaking emails like that from biotech...may not have always gotten equipment but it's spreading awareness that you're out there. While biotech and universities are an obvious go to, also check out IT, electronics shops and more. Posting pics of equipment will also give you a lot more traction as people see that this is something that is really happening even if you're not using the equipment until you get a space. Aim for the basics of whatever type of lab you want equipment wise...also remember you can make almost all of it now too, so maybe its worth checking out other hacker/makerspaces in your area to see if you can start making some equipment there. This doubles as a meetup/event and gets you networking with people that will be important to have good connections with in the future. Maybe they could potentially have space for you in the future to set up your lab in!
Keep having your meetings/workshops/events, eventually when you get like 5-6 people who really want to see this work you'll have enough people to form a board for a company get bank accounts, ABN etc.. Before you do this though you should have draft business model and have had a discussion about what your activities are, how you generate revenue, and create a few different versions of costing models to accommodate various set ups re the space and your activities. Also a "memorandum of understanding" or a similar code of conduct should be created that outlines how you all interface with each other clearly outlining what the expectations are from everyone in order to achieve your mission. This will prevent arguments from happening and quickly resolve them if they do. Also good to have a couple of "flagship" projects you want to dive into, but that really depends on how you guys decide to operate.
We were doing sausage sizzles all over the place for a while to get some cash, we'd get $150-$300 a day doing that, if you're also putting in like $25 each a month or something like that, you'll ensure you have at least some funds to cover admin costs of getting set up. Fundraisers are also a great way of meeting people and attracting new people to the scene, so if you can find out where the scientists live in your area, have BBQ's around those areas! Try to aim for a fundraiser every month, be creative about how you guys raise funds, more science involved the better!
Good rule of thumb is 6 months of operating costs in the bank (you'll need a bank account and before you get a bank account you'll want to think of what kind of set up you want regarding your company). Lawyers are handy but accountants can explain things a bit more in depth, both can help you tease apart the pros and cons of the various legal entities you can run your lab as. If you can find an accountant who believes in what you're doing and wants to work pro-bono, score.
Best advice i can give though is get organized! get some sort of task manager software going so you can keep track of what you're doing and what needs doing. It can be overwhelming just jumping into the deep end with so many possible things to get done and avenues to go down.
It may be a bit too soon but i started looking at real estate for industrial zoned properties/rooms for rent like this in Perth
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/welshpool/parking-storage/warehouse-space-to-let-in-welshpool/1099398185
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/welshpool/parking-storage/warehouse-space-to-let-in-welshpool/1099398185
$150 pw for a warehouse?! thats a bargain! basics to look for in a space is access to a toilet, at around16 M floor space minimum, able to be enclosed, electricity, good lighting, some sort of ventilation, water, or at least an option to install all of that yourself, and the ability to be able to seal up/paint surfaces that are porous (OGTR doesn't like porous surfaces ;) )
Don't beat yourself up if and when things don't go as planned, it's all part of the process, learn, reiterate and have fun!
Super happy to help via skype and provide feedback/advice on any and everything.
Best of luck guys.
On Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 4:44:56 PM UTC+11, BigSteve wrote:
On Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 4:44:56 PM UTC+11, BigSteve wrote:
thanks for the support!We're kind of stumbling our way at the moment. Any advice on "how to get started" would be welcome.-Steve
On Saturday, 2 January 2016 10:12:40 UTC+8, Biotech Ryan wrote:Congratulations guys on starting the community in Perth and glad you've connected with the team at Biofoundry, welcome to the DIYBio community!Let us know if you need any advice on getting started? I've been involved in the DIYbio community since the start with a few friends here in Silicon Valley and LA, together a bunch of us co-founded Sudo Room, Counter Culture Labs and Berkeley Biolabs (now LAblaunch and a few others too).I've also started a new site to link us all together, bio.science, to list and track new diybio spaces as they emerge and currently we (IndieBio) are trying to help fund a few more DIYBio type startups, feel free to apply if you'd like to join us here in SF or in Cork!
On Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 11:11:45 PM UTC-8, Harristotle wrote:In typical style, I ignored the "Action required" bit.
I am happy to meet most places near a train.
Or ...
How about we meet at the Artifactory?
With this in mind, I have sent an email to see if they are open to this. Wed night (Arduino U) and sat afternoons are their most active times. It would also let us mingle and make contacts.
The email I sent is attached below.
Hi,
a bunch of people are looking to start up a biohackers group in Perth.
At our inaugural get together on the 29th of December, we noticed that there is a lot of overlap between our two groups of people.
Would it be possible to hold a get together for our people at the Artifactory, so we might meet some of your guys, and scope out any possibilities for interaction/collaboration? Our next meeting will be late in Jan 2016. I am thinking perhaps wed 23rd evening.
At this stage, we are busily trying to form our core community and group. I speak with no authority for no members. This makes this a "scoping" message. Nevertheless, I think that there are loads of room for common ground, and I know that a bit of biotech certainly spices up arduino projects!
Cheers,
Leon
Regards,
H.
On Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 2:45:51 PM UTC+8, BigSteve wrote:Hi Everyone,What Happened:We had a great meet-up at Clancy's in Fremantle yesterday.Harristotle offered a great wealth of formal and DIY experience and is well connected within WA.Mike (from BioFoundry) discussed a number of the challenges and opportunities that come with creating a biohacking community.There is already a fantastic network of DIYBio throughout Australia. We do not need to reinvent the wheel, we are not alone in this endeavor.The handful of us who met yesterday are enthusiastic and motivated. We are confident that with some online exposure and time, many more people will become involved. It has become blindingly apparent that there is a LOT of garage and kitchen science happening in WA schools and homes, let us build on that!In short, 2016 will be an exciting year for DIyBio in WA!Short Term Plan:As a community, it would be great to build the online presence and find out who else in WA is interested. Please cross-link to any other groups and spread the word!Building an online group is delightfully free of cost and not reliant on anyone person. Post, Discuss, Argue, Collaborate!Medium Term Plan:I am hoping that we can engage with one of the maker-spaces in WA, it would be great if we could combine the creative talent and hacker/maker ethos.Anyone involved in Artifactory or West Coast Makers, please raise your voice!Another suggestion was to approach the various Universities from a Community-Engagement perspective. We should also aim to engage high-school or university students and teachers. There is a great deal of knowledge, expertise and energy out there.Any students who are reading this, your involvement would be welcome! Experience or Level doesn't matter (I am a very proud high-school drop-out :) )Something to start with:In the meantime, Harristotle has posted an interesting, easy and safe experiment on this forum. It's a great place to start for getting your feet wet (or muddy).Any posts about projects are welcome.ACTION REQUIRED:How about we plan for another meet-up at the end of January 2016?The specific date and location around the greater Metro Area is flexible.
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