One of the first thoughts I had for Try Nerdy when I first started out was, “I really want the average non-scientist to understand why research costs so much,” and I originally planned to gradually incorporate that kind of information into my posts about research. I now realize, however, that this topic is definitely worthy of its own post, and would benefit from the direct approach. So, without further preamble, reasons why research is expensive:

1. Salaries/Stipends — Let’s say a “medium-sized” lab has something like 12 members: 4 graduate students and 8 post-docs*. In research, graduate students typically receive a stipend above tuition coverage, and this stipend is usually in the neighborhood of $20-30,000 per year, depending on the graduate program (more competitive programs tend to give larger stipends). Post-docs commonly have salaries of $35-45,000. Using the averages of these pay ranges, I calculate that this hypothetical lab is spending $420,000 per year to compensate its scientists.

2. Equipment — I cannot emphasize enough how expensive research equipment is. I remember when I first got started in research and I casually asked my mentor about the cost of the microscope we were using, expecting it might be similar to a sweet 40-inch Samsung TV, but she replied, “Oh, it’s maybe about the same as a small car.” We were probably using a microscope like this:

And it was probably accompanied by a camera and software like this:

So let’s say our hypothetical medium-size lab has two of these – that’s about $55,000 (my mentor was right about the small car comparison).

Another standard bit of lab equipment is a PCR machine, used to amplify small amounts of DNA into larger amounts. A good PCR system can fall in the range of $25-35,000 (or more), so let’s split the difference and say $30,000.

The lab will need to store sensitive materials at cold temperatures so that they don’t degrade; let’s be conservative and say this lab only has three of these (just 5 cubic feet each) for its twelve members:

And for long-term storage of things, like cells and tissues, for example — one of these:

That adds up to about $19,000 to keep stuff cold.

I could certainly go on with many more standard items that would fall under “equipment,” but for the sake of time I’ll move on to the next research lab expense:

3. Animal care — To compensate an animal care technician and cover the cost of  supplies (food, bedding, cleaning, etc.), the world-renowned cancer center and research mice provider The Jackson Laboratory estimates that mouse cages cost $550/cage/year. Again I will be conservative and say that this lab will need 100 mice between the twelve scientists (probably an underestimate). Each cage typically houses two mice; with 50 cages for the 100 mice, this lab shells out $27,500 per year to maintain mice. The cost of maintaining zebrafish, a research animal rising in popularity, is substantially lower per animal, but maintenance cost estimates are more elusive for fish, so I will leave in the mouse-based estimate.

4. Reagents — “Reagents” can mean a ton of things. A crude and incomplete definition would be to say that reagents are all of the liquids and powders that scientists use in their experiments, and every lab has a very large number of reagents. Some are expensive and some are not, so it is almost impossible to put an estimate on the total cost of lab reagents. While I feel confident that this cost would have to exceed $30,000 or even $50,000 (and exceed by quite a factor), my guess would be somewhat arbitrary, so I won’t include a specific number for reagents in this expense list.

5. Travel — The last thing I’ll mention is based on the oft-forgotten fact that, in science, information is essentially our only currency. I’ll say that again: information is the currency of scientific research. This means that conferences, at which scientists in a particular field will come together and share information, are extremely important to attend. Collaborations are made, invaluable suggestions are given, and connections are formed that can shape entire careers. That said, a lab will often foot the bill when members go to the occasional conference. This is another variable cost because conferences can be in your own town or halfway across the world. But again I’ll throw out a frugal number (maybe these hypothetical lab members stay at the Motel 6) of $500 for airfare and two nights’ stay at a conference, and maybe only three lab members go to one for the year: $1,500.

That’s $553,000 for one lab, for one year. A mid-size lab of 12 people. An estimate in which I’ve really only accounted for the several things that immediately came to my mind, when total expenses could easily be twice this number with everything that I forgot or didn’t mention. In any case, I hope this has at least given you a sense of what some of the expenses are in research and how easily they can add up. Maybe now you have a new appreciation for the types of things labs spend money on, and the next time you hear a news story about the possibility of cutting research funding by X dollars, it will be about more than just the numbers for you.

*A “post-doc,” or post-doctoral researcher, has earned a doctorate and is doing temporary mentored research to gain further skills.