For Customers
What browsers are recommended?
iLab recommends using the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, or Safari.
How do I create an iLab account?
If you are a BCM user, follow these instructions:
Go here. Click on the here link under Internal BCM user. Fill out the authentication form using your BCM login credentials. Click the login button. Fill out the registration page, select your PI/lab, and verify your contact information Once your registration has been submitted, your PI and/or lab manager will receive a notification that you have requested membership to his/her lab in iLab. The PI or lab manager will need to approve your membership request and grant you access to a charge source/s, which will be used to pay for requests in a core.
If you are outside of BCM, follow these instructions:
Go here. Click on the register link under Not a BCM user. Complete the registration form. You will receive a welcome email from iLab, typically within one business day, with login credentials.
Why do I need to wait for my PI or lab manager to approve my account?
Your PI or lab manager must approve your lab membership request in order to assign a charge source which you will use to pay for services at core facilities. Cores also use iLab to track which labs use their services and to bill the appropriate labs for those services.
What are the links in the left-hand and upper right-hand menu?
Links on the left-hand menu:
Under Home:
Home: The home button will take you to your homepage and homepage panels. Communications: View emails sent through the iLab system.
Under Core Facilities:
My reservations: View past and current reservations you have with cores. View requests: View requests of services or projects that you have submitted to cores. List all cores: View a list of cores that you can access.
Under Manage Groups:
My labs: If you are a PI or lab manager, you can view details about your lab and lab members. People search: search for members using this search engine.
Links in the upper right-hand menu:
System upgrades: Provides links for you to view recent updates. HELP: Contact iLab support, manage your support tickets, and access other FAQs. My profile: Manage your account. You can update your name, login information, and manage how you want to receive system-generated messages.
How do I search for a core facility, a service, or equipment?
There are two primary ways to find a core facility, service, or equipment within iLab:
Browse a list of available cores by clicking on the core facilities link in the left-hand menu. The core facilities are subdivided onto separate tabs based on a core’s institutional affiliation. These tabs include: cores at my institutions and cores at other institutions. Search for a core by name or search for a particular service or type of equipment by typing in the search bar in the upper right-hand corner and click go.
I can’t find my charge source in iLab. How can I have a charge source assigned or added to iLab?
Charge sources are automatically added to iLab on a nightly basis from SAP. Charge sources cannot be added manually.
Reasons why you cannot find your charge source:
Your PI/lab manager has not granted you access to the charge source. This can be fixed by having your PI/lab manager login to iLab, click on my labs in the left-hand menu, click on the membership requests & charge sources tab, mark the checkbox next to your name for the appropriate charge source, and click save. The charge source has expired and is no longer being transferred from SAP to iLab. Please have your department work with SPO/grants and contracts to extend. The charge source has a negative balance and is no longer being transferred from SAP to iLab. The charge source belongs to another PI. This can be resolved by requesting membership to the PI’s lab and having the PI/lab manager grant you access to the appropriate charge source. If you need additional help with this, please contact ilabs-support@bcm.edu. The charge source is missing a required field which is preventing it from being transferred from SAP to iLab. Please contact ilabs-support@bcm.edu.
How do I request a service?
Login to iLab Click on list all cores on the left-hand menu or search for a core or service in the search box in the upper right-hand menu. On the core site, click on the Request Services tab. Click on the initiate request button next to the service of interest. Fill out all the information on the subsequent form. Click save completed form button after completing all fields. Provide payment information when applicable. Click the submit request to core button at the bottom of the page to complete the submission and send the request to the core for processing. The core will review your request, and when applicable will provide a quote. You may be notified to approve the estimated cost before service can begin.
How can I update my payment information?
Login to iLab. On the core site, click on the View My Requests tab. Click on the dollar sign next to your request. In the payment information pop-up, you can select a charge source from a drop-down menu if you are a BCM user. If you are not a BCM user, you can enter your PO# in the free-text payment field. Click save.
How do I schedule time on equipment?
Login to iLab Click on list all cores on the left-hand menu or search for a core or service in the search box in the upper right-hand menu. On the core site, click on the Schedule Equipment tab. Click on the view schedule button next to the equipment that you would like to make a reservation on. *Please note that some equipment can only be reserved by core personnel on behalf of a customer. In these cases, the equipment calendar can be used by the customer only as a reference. To reserve time on a piece of equipment, click and drag on the day and time of the intended usage. Complete the reservation details form and save the reservation.
How do I submit a help ticket to iLab?
Login to iLab. In the upper right-hand menu, click HELP. Type a subject into the support topic field. Type a short description of the problem. Click Submit ticket.
