Resources

iLab for External Researchers

How to use iLab as an external researcher

If you are from an institution using iLab

  1. Navigate to your home institution’s landing page for iLab Solutions and click on the login icon in the upper-right corner. If you do not know the URL for your institution’s iLab landing page, you can typically find it by doing an internet search for “iLab+Your Institution’s Name”.
  2. A popup window will appear with two boxes. Choose the login that uses your institution’s credentials.
  3. Open the hamburger menu (three lines) at the top left of your screen and select “Core Facilities.”
  4. You will see a “View” menu at the top right of your screen. Click on the menu and select “Cores at other institutions.” 
  5. Type in “Arizona State University” or the name of the specific facility, if known. 
  6. Select the facility you wish to use from the results that appear on the page. 

If you are from an institution that does not use iLab, from industry or an independent user

  1. Navigate to ASU’s landing page and list of available cores for iLab Solutions. 
  2. Select the core facility from which you wish to request services to be redirected to their landing page.
  3. If you have an iLab profile, click the “Login” button in the upper right corner, then select “Not a ASU user? (no ASURITE ID).”

    If you do not have an iLab profile, click the “Sign-up” link in the upper right corner and follow the prompts to provide personal information, institution name (enter “Independent User” if unaffiliated with a company or other institution), group associations and billing information. Your registration will be reviewed. Upon completion, you will be sent a welcome email to set your password within 24 hours.

See iLab’s Help Guide on Registration for more information.

Overall navigation

The hamburger menu (three lines at the top left of the screen) allows you to access the following features:

  • Home lists submitted service requests, messages, recently used cores and institutions.
  • Core Facilities lists all core facilities at your own institution, partner institutions, and other outside institutions using iLab as well as a search function.
    • My Reservations provides an overview of all current, upcoming and recent reservations in iLab.
    • Invoices lists all invoices from your department.
  • Manage Groups: Displays all groups in which you are a member, and allows you to request membership into another group at ASU or another institution.
    • My Group directs to the same page as clicking Manage Groups. Hovering your mouse reveals a sub-menu of your groups to display the names and contact information of everyone in the group.
    • My Departments displays the groups affiliated with your department at your institution.
    • People Search displays the names and contact information of everyone in groups for which you are a member.

The top of the screen provides access to various system functions

  • Search allows you to search for specific cores and services. Enter a key term or the first few letters and click ‘Go.’ Your results will display on the page.
  • Clicking your Username will reveal the following options:
    • My Profile, which allows you to view and edit your user profile.
    • System upgrades, which grants access to all messages regarding the system and updates/feature/bug fixes of the iLab software.
  • The Help link brings you to iLab’s customer support portal.
  • Sign Out logs you out of the system.

When you visit a specific core facility on iLab, you will see tabs at the top right that will allow you to:

  • Learn about the facility
  • Schedule equipment
  • Request services/training
  • View your requests
  • Contact the facility

Review your invoices

Invoices are accessible from the hamburger menu at the top left of your iLab window. An invoice summarizes charges per service request, per researcher. A direct link is also emailed to you whenever an invoice is generated. It is important to review the invoice right away to ensure it is accurate. 

Dispute a charge

You have three business days after the invoice is created to dispute a charge before it officially posts to the ASU Financial System. To dispute a charge:

  1. Hover your mouse over the charge’s total cost. A yellow flag will appear.
  2. Click on the yellow flag. A window will open that prompts you to select a reason for the dispute and to provide a note. Include a detailed description of the issue.
  3. Click on “initiate dispute.” Your message will be delivered to the Core Facilities Financial Office, which will work with the lab managers to verify your claim and apply any necessary changes.

Pay an invoice

Options for payment include purchase orders, Visa or MasterCard. 

Invoices are delivered by email. If payment will be managed by your company or institution’s financial department, be sure to forward it to them so payment may be processed. If a purchase order was submitted to fund the work, it will be referenced on the final invoice. Learn more about uploading a purchase order on the iLab help site. 

Payment may also be completed using a Visa or MasterCard online by the person designated as the invoice owner. An iLab account is required. To pay by credit card:

  1. While viewing the invoice online, click on the “Select Payment Method” link. A popup window will appear. 
  2. Select “Credit Card” as your payment method. 
  3. Select “all charges on the invoice” as the charges you wish to pay. 
  4. Click the link to pay with a credit card, and you will be redirected to ASU’s secure payment page to enter your card details.

FAQs

I’ve received a cost estimate for a request and would like to make payment. How do I pay?

Payment is not anticipated after you receive an estimate. Instead, we request you indicate your agreement to the estimate’s projected cost and terms as well as provide your payment method in order to move forward. If using a purchase order, you must either upload the document or already have one with an available balance in iLab. Payment is due upon delivery of the final invoice, which will be emailed to you after the work is completed.

I’ve tried submitting a request but get an error. Why can’t I submit my request?

One of two scenarios will prevent you from submitting a request:

  • You did not provide an answer to a required question, or the form was not saved when completed. Open the request details by clicking on the blue triangle and view the form. Review your responses to check that all questions are answered, then click the icon to save your completed form. You should now be able to submit your request. If you continue to have trouble, submit a ticket to iLab Support by clicking the “Help” link in the upper-right corner of the site.
  • You are submitting a request for services with defined pricing that do not yet have a rate assignment with the core facility. Contact the core facility to be assigned a rate type, and then you will be able to submit your request.

I approved a request, but now it says, “Waiting for Financial Approval.” What happens next?

The Core Facilities Finance Team will review your request and designated payment method. If there are any questions about your payment method, outstanding invoices or anything else, someone from the team will email you.

I am not finding the answer I need on this website. What do I do next?

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