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Introduction
The average time it takes between when a scientific experiment is conducted and when it’s documented.1
The estimated amount in yearly losses across science and industry due to the failure to replicate or reproduce scientific results.2
90%
of scientists currently record their research with pen and paper.3
From challenges with data capture and experiment management, to technology integration and adoption issues, there are many moving parts to lab operations that can impede experiment execution and put IP at risk, making it difficult for organizations to get to their products to market quickly.
Labs that are managing experiments on paper notebooks, decentralized Excel sheets, and Post-It Notes progress slowly (if at all), and the lack of structure and traceability makes following regulations complex and time-consuming. To advance research and secure IP, experimentation data must be clean, accurate, and fully traceable.
Research is increasingly cross-functional and multi-disciplinary, presenting a variety of potential risks in terms of how data is shared (and in turn, secured). Experiment data must be easily captured and accessible to empower collaboration across scientific disciplines and global boundaries.
Emerging scientific talent has high expectations for organizations to embrace state-of-the-art, user-friendly technology that resonates with their modern work style. Organizations have an opportunity to improve engagement by providing an environment conducive to innovation.
“We struggle to locate the documents and relevant results. Our data are normally scattered around different folders and subfolders. Sometimes conflicting versions are created because our system is unsynchronized."
“We are currently documenting our experiments on Excel and PowerPoint. Entering data can be tricky due to ‘information overload’ of working directly in spreadsheets.”
“Our current technology is slow, click-intensive, unintuitive where data such as outputs and lab results are hard to find or get lost.”
“We’re still using old school lab books.”
To address these challenges, organizations are investing in technologies that can help them improve data capture and quality, simplify workflows, increase collaboration, and support compliance and IP requirements.
Driving Progress in R&D Experimentation and Operations
Ideation is the creative core that drives experimentation, and without it, products would never evolve beyond concepts. It is an elusive and abstract process. To capture, develop, and test experiments to the fullest potential, scientists must find ways to systematize it. Scientists of antiquity jotted notations on physical lab books. The digital evolution of the lab book is the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN). But even though lab books have become digital, most scientists are still notetaking manually—Why?
Although not a recent innovation, early ELNs have primarily functioned as digital notetaking tools resembling word processors. However, with recent strides in cloud computing and automation algorithms, modern ELNs have evolved into flexible, hyperconnected platforms, seamlessly integrating with diverse laboratory systems and data sources. By structuring data at the point of capture and making it easily retrievable in the cloud, ELNs can support continuous knowledge transfer between teams, enabling scientists to fast-track their workflows. The result is increased IP generation, and quicker time to market (TTM).
Scientists that ideate, collaborate, and conduct experiments while using a modern ELN improve productivity and ultimately drive more discovery. Advanced ELN systems also provide connectivity with instruments, as well as inventory, so use of equipment, consumables, and samples is monitored and updated regularly.
Using an ELN to document, structure, and organize experiment data enables research teams to easily iterate on findings, transfer knowledge, and make discoveries earlier – without fear of data loss.
By minimizing manual entry, ELNs help researchers improve data quality and reduce experiment redundancy, so scientists can focus on breakthroughs – not workflow breakdowns.
Cloud-based ELNs empower global teams across scientific disciplines to share centralized workspaces, collaborate on experiments, manage samples, and communicate in real time.
An ELN helps secure IP by keeping experiments aligned to laboratory standards and regulations and providing proof of invention according to the First to Invent patenting rule.
There are several emerging technologies on the horizon that aim to revolutionize the way R&D laboratories conduct experiments.
In the near term, AI and Virtual Reality are just around the corner to being deployed in the day-to-day operations of R&D labs. From scientists using AI to predict experiment outcomes and optimize methods – to researchers using Virtual Reality to learn new techniques in controlled environments or to create models and simulations, the opportunities for labs of the future are vast.
There are several emerging technologies on the horizon that aim to revolutionize the way R&D laboratories conduct experiments.
In the near term, AI and Virtual Reality are just around the corner to being deployed in the day-to-day operations of R&D labs. From scientists using AI to predict experiment outcomes and optimize methods – to researchers using Virtual Reality to learn new techniques in controlled environments or to create models and simulations, the opportunities for labs of the future are vast.
The promise of investing in R&D for emerging scientific discoveries is clear: being first to market allows organizations to maintain a competitive edge.
So, the unrelenting race for the next big breakthrough continues.
R&D leaders that seek to accelerate discovery in the lab must keep pace with the needs of the market—and the needs of their scientists and researchers, who are eager for intuitive technology that helps them capture, structure, and share their creative work and experimentation. By compounding knowledge within a centralized, secure digital workspace, R&D organizations will soar ahead of their competition by generating IP, multiplying it, and getting it to the market, faster.
The Labstep ELN platform, tailored for the unique demands of R&D, delivers quick deployment and immediate results. Backed by nearly 40 years of STARLIMS expertise, we’re a trusted ally in improving laboratory productivity and advancing science.
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Reduction in time to market
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Improvement in productivity
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Implementation and onboarding
1Cell Paper “The Availability of Research Data Declines Rapidly with Article Age” (2014)
2Kellogg Insight, How AI Can Help Researchers Navigate the “Replication Crisis,” Wu Youyou, Yang Yang, Brian Uzzi, July 2023
3NIH Journal of Cheminformatics “electronic lab notebooks: can they replace paper?” (2017)
4Gartner for R&D Leaders: Top R&D Priorities for 2023
5Gartner Research: 2024 Priorities for Research and Development Leaders
