What happens to consumables purchased with startup money? I am a faculty member at a US academic institution and am leaving for another position. I know that large equipment purchased with start up money is the property of the university but what about consumables such as antibodies, cell lines, and other molecular reagents? Do I leave what is left over behind? What generally happens to this stuff?
Generally, this would be something you negotiate with your new department. Often the old department will sell things that it does not want to the new department based on some formula that calculates the depreciated value. Barring that sale, or in the odd case the gifting of the items, taking the items would be theft.