The University Logistics and Supply Chain Association (ULSCA) has named UCSF’s ChemCentral Program the recipient of the 2025 Mark Teragawa Innovation Award. The announcement was made on October 23, 2025, during ULSCA’s annual conference hosted virtually this year by UC San Diego.  

The Mark Teragawa Innovation Award honors initiatives that exemplify excellence in supply chain best practices, strategic solutions, and meaningful contributions to advancing the mission of universities. UCSF’s winning submission, “Centralized Chemical Distribution Program,” impressed the selection committee with its innovative approach to managing hazardous chemical deliveries and its transformative impact on operational efficiency, workforce productivity, and researcher support.

 A Revolutionary Partnership

The ChemCentral Program is the result of a collaborative partnership between UCSF’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) team and the Office of Research. Together, the teams implemented a centralized solution for the secure delivery, inventory management, and distribution of hazardous chemicals used in UCSF’s research enterprise. With over 600 research groups spanning dozens of buildings across San Francisco, UCSF faces unique logistical challenges in managing the delivery of more than 200,000 individual chemicals. ChemCentral addresses these challenges with cutting-edge solutions, including UCSF’s first Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot.

The RPA bot plays a pivotal role in ensuring compliance and safety by automatically redirecting chemical purchases to secure ChemCentral hubs based on commodity codes, eliminating the need for human intervention and training. This seamless automation reduces risks associated with unsecured deliveries and improves efficiency across the supply chain. The program also leverages UCSF’s “last-mile delivery” solution, where chemicals are routed through SCM-Logistics’ South San Francisco warehouse before being delivered to ChemCentral hubs across campus, reducing program costs by lowering the FTE need.  

Driving Impact Across UCSF and Beyond

Since its pilot launch in 2021, the ChemCentral program has scaled impressively to nine research buildings across UCSF. The initiative has received core funding from the University to support 12 full-time employees, reflecting UCSF’s commitment to the program’s long-term success. ChemCentral hubs are now being incorporated into the design of new research buildings, including the Bakar Research and Academic Building, currently under construction.

The program has also generated substantial operational, financial, and workforce benefits. By reducing traffic from commercial carriers and consolidating deliveries from both preferred and non-preferred vendors with SCM-Logistics delivery staff, ChemCentral has lowered costs and streamlined workflows, enabling researchers to receive chemicals faster and with greater reliability. These advancements reduce logistical barriers, allowing UCSF’s research enterprise to focus on advancing groundbreaking science.

A Well-Deserved Honor

Caroline Hedge, ChemCentral Program Manager, expressed her gratitude for the recognition, “This award is a testament to the hard work and collaboration between our Supply Chain Management team and the Office of Research. ChemCentral is a perfect example of how innovation and teamwork can transform operations and empower our researchers to focus on what they do best—advancing science for the benefit of society.”

Congratulations to the ChemCentral team and Supply Chain Management on this outstanding achievement. Their work not only enhances the University’s research operations but also sets a new standard for supply chain innovation in higher education.