Erimworks/UNVPortal/LabsLast updated:
UNVPortal Labs: puts the laboratory's daily work on record
UNVPortal Labs is a browser-based laboratory management system (LIMS) for university and research laboratories. Experiment and sample records, instrument booking with an approval queue, consumable stock, academic practical sessions and attendance are kept in the same system. Which experiment was done, which instrument was used by whom and when, and how much of a consumable is left can be answered without going back to spreadsheets and the lab notebook.
This module was previously published as ErimPortal. Deployments and accounts continue in the same system.
What is a laboratory management system (LIMS)?
A laboratory management system (LIMS, Laboratory Information Management System) is software that keeps a laboratory's sample, experiment, instrument, consumable and user records in a single database. It reports from those records which experiment was carried out by whom on which instrument, how much the instrument has been used, and which material will run out when. UNVPortal Labs is a laboratory management system of this kind, written around the daily work of university laboratories.
Who uses it
- Laboratory supervisor: approval of instrument booking requests, consumable stock and conflict checks.
- Lecturer: opening practical sessions, attaching experiment sheets, attendance and end-of-term participation reports.
- Researcher and postgraduate student: instrument booking, usage records, adding experiment results.
- Purchasing and administration: consumption history showing which consumables are used up at what rate.
- Quality unit: access to instrument usage reports and consumption history as evidence.
What it does
Laboratory and experiment management
Each laboratory is attached to the unit tree. A course is divided into experiment weeks and each week into its own activities; a PDF or Word template is attached to the activity and students access it before the session. Each student is assigned a separate QR-tagged sample: the sample's true value and acceptance tolerance are defined in advance, and the submitted result is graded against them.
Instrument booking and approval flow
Instruments are defined with their location, working hours and a daily or hourly booking mode; maintenance days are marked as unavailable. A shareable link is generated for the department, so requests can also come from outside the institution. Incoming requests land in an approval queue; they are approved one by one or in bulk, and a reason is recorded if rejected. A reminder email goes out the day before an approved booking — automatically, through the scheduled job set up at deployment, or by hand from the admin screen, singly or in bulk. A record is kept after use, and a per-instrument usage report is produced at the end of term.
Consumable stock
Receipts, issues and stock counts are recorded. Materials that fall below the critical level are listed, and consumption history is exported for purchasing plans. For materials with a lot and expiry date, expired items are separated out.
Bookings
Laboratories and instruments are booked through a calendar. Conflicting requests are blocked, and for instruments that require approval the supervisor's decision is awaited. Who used what, and for how long, is recorded.
Academic practicals and attendance
Practical sessions tied to the course timetable are opened and attendance is recorded against the session. At the end of term, participation counts and attendance status are reported per student.
At the bench, on a phone
The field app for Labs is ChemBioCalc. Where the institution runs UNVPortal, staff connect to its laboratory module with their own ChemBioCalc account and do the work at the bench instead of going back to a desk: scan the QR label on a chemical container and deduct the amount used, request an instrument booking, approve or reject pending requests, search the chemical inventory, take attendance with student QR codes and view the results of session activities.
The data stays in Labs; no copy is kept on the phone. Connecting requires the user to be registered in UNVPortal with ChemBioCalc access enabled on their account — the same permission is required of an administrator, so a role alone is not enough. The session issued is short-lived and every connection is written to the audit trail. Which screens appear on the phone is decided by the user's role in Labs.
The difference from a spreadsheet
| Question | In a spreadsheet | In UNVPortal Labs |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours was this instrument used last term? | Counted by hand, if records were kept | Calculated from booking and usage records |
| Are there instrument requests awaiting approval? | The inbox is searched | Listed in the approval queue |
| When will this consumable run out? | Estimated | Seen from consumption history |
| How many practicals did the student attend? | Attendance sheets are collected | Reported from session records |
| Evidence needed for the quality report | Documents are searched for one by one | A link to the record is given |
Deployment and access
It runs in the browser, with no separate software to install. The institution can choose a cloud deployment or its own server. Permissions are granted per unit and role; a laboratory supervisor sees only their own laboratory.
Labs shares one database with UNVPortal Exams; when deployed together, staff, course and unit definitions are entered once. UNVPortal Quality runs on its own database and only reads those records.
Frequently asked questions
Can we import our existing instrument list?
Existing lists are imported from an Excel file. The stock screen has a separate Excel upload button for instruments, glassware and consumables, and chemicals; the column names in the file's header row are mapped automatically (for instruments: name, make, model, serial number, location; for chemicals also CAS number, class, unit and critical quantity). We carry out the first import during deployment, after which an authorised user can upload at any time.
How many laboratories can be defined?
There is no limit to the number of laboratories that can be defined in UNVPortal Labs. The licence is based on the number of users, not the number of laboratories.
Do students sign in as well?
Student accounts can be opened in UNVPortal Labs for bookings and access to experiment sheets. If only attendance is recorded, student sign-in is not required.
Can instrument usage reports be used in an accreditation file?
UNVPortal Labs instrument usage reports can be used as evidence in an accreditation file. When the Quality module is deployed, the report is linked directly to the criterion that requires evidence, and the document is not uploaded a second time.
What does it cost?
UNVPortal Labs follows an enterprise licence model; the price is quoted based on the number of users and the selected modules. For a quote and a live demo, write to contact@erimworks.com.
Deployment and licensing
It is enough to contact us with your institution's name, the number of laboratories and the expected number of users; your enquiry is answered with proposed times for a live demo.