How can a for-profit company be more cost effective for me than an academic lab?
Cost is just one of the variables that must be considered when a project is formulated. Generally, the institution underwrites the academic labs so salaries, rent, and other factors that go into a company’s “overhead” do not have to be recovered. This means that academic labs often can charge a customer a lower price for the same service that is offered commercially. However, for-profit companies may provide a faster turn-around time, better quality guarantees, and may even have more experience with your particular type project. If factors other than price are important, it may be cost effective to use a commercial company rather than an academic lab.
