I've seen these answers: Does equipment purchased with grants stay with the PI? What happens to equipment purchased using a startup package after an academic leaves the university?
However, I want a little more detail on a legend that I've heard that if the new university is offering you start-up funds, then you can buy back your old stuff using the start-up funds at fair prices for used equipment. How does this get negotiated? Does this ever actually happen in practice, or is it a myth?
My lab has a lot off stuff that I've acquired over several years. Some of it I bought with start-up, some I bought with external grant funds, and some I bought with (eek!) my personal money. There are numerous things that I scavenged from other labs. Some of the stuff in my lab is old and somewhat broken (a laptop with a glitchy screen). If I were to get a position at another university, how does this stuff get sorted out?
I'm working at a US university and the new university would be in the US or Canada.
