The University of Pittsburgh utilizes a single centralized Pitt/iLab portal to assist researchers in acquiring shared university resources. This system includes some of our core facilities from the upper campus, the lower campus, and Hillman Cancer Center.
FAQs
Internal Pitt users such as students, post-docs, and lab staff can register for an iLab account by following instructions here: SOP 001 University of Pittsburgh iLab Registration Guide.pdf
Users will be prompted to sign in using Pitt credentials and select a PI/Group during registration. For UPMC users that need access to a Pitt PI lab and do not have a Pitt email, contact cores@pitt.edu for assistance.
Other non-Pitt or UPMC users who have an iLab account can log into Pitt’s iLab system at https://pitt.ilab.agilent.com/ and sign in using their iLab or home institution credentials if their institution is integrated with iLab.
New users can register for an account by following instructions here: SOP 003 University of Pittsburgh iLab Registration Guide for External Users.pdf
Faculty with sponsored (05) accounts automatically have an iLab account due to the integration with Pitt’s financial system. Follow instructions in this document to get started with iLab: SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf
You must follow the steps outlined in SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf to setup your Pitt lab in iLab first. Then, email Agilent support at ilabsupport@agilent.com and state you need a UPMC and/or MWRI lab created and linked to your Pitt lab. Provide Agilent with your official Pitt email (not an alias) and proper Pitt lab format (Last Name, First Name (PITT) Lab).
Once completed, you will have the option to select your UPMC or MWRI lab when making requests or scheduling reservations. See SOP 051 Joint Appointments Workflow.pdf for further instructions.
Faculty with only non-sponsored (e.g. 02 or 04) accounts must have their lab manually created by an institutional administrator. Contact cores@pitt.edu for assistance.
First time users will select the PI lab during the registration process, and the PI must approve the request. PIs can add registered users to their lab in iLab under the ‘Members’ tab. The PI should denote at least one member of their lab as a manager and an administrator as the financial manager. See the ‘Managing Memberships’ section in this document: SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf
Users can be a part of multiple labs in iLab.
iLab receives a once daily feed of valid accounts from Pitt’s financial office and newly activated accounts will not be available until the following day. Non-sponsored (e.g. 02 or 04) accounts must be requested into a lab. A lab administrator (PI, lab manager, or financial manager) should follow the ‘Requesting access to additional account numbers in this document: SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf
Your PI, lab manager or financial manager must assign you access to the account number in the ‘Membership Requests & Account Numbers’ tab on your group’s iLab page. This is easily done by clicking the checkbox of the account number next to your name.
Yes, a PI needs to assign account number(s) to each member of their lab before they can schedule time on equipment or make service requests in iLab. Assign by selecting the appropriate checkbox(es) to the right of the member’s name in the ‘Manage Account Numbers’ tab in iLab.
Yes, follow the ‘Delegating notifications and approvals to a lab/group manager’ instructions here: SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf
Navigate below to access training documents and videos in the relevant ‘Personnel Roles’ sections. The SOP 002 Getting Started with iLab - Core Facility Users.pdf and Pitt-iLab User Training video is a great place to start for a general overview on how to use iLab.
PI and lab managers should review the training material in the ‘Lab Level Administrator’ section below.
The PI or lab administrator should grant you access by adding you as a financial manager to the PI’s lab in iLab. Follow registration instructions and have the PI or lab admin select the ‘manager’ permission level and check ‘Core Financial Contact’ under your membership. Images and step-by-step instructions are here: SOP 053 Getting Started with iLab-PIs and Lab Managers.pdf
Invoices can be accessed from the left-hand menu in iLab and clicking ‘Invoices’. You will only be able to see invoices associated with your respective lab(s). Use the filters to reduce or sort the invoices that are displayed. More information is in the ‘Invoices’ section here: SOP 300 University of Pittsburgh iLab Institution Manual.pdf
Only trained users can make reservations. Speak with the core director or manager. If you are a trained user, they will update your access in the system. If you are not a trained user, the core will likely have a request for training in the ‘Request Services’ tab. When in doubt, reach out to the core director or manager.
Log into Pitt’s iLab system at https://pitt.ilab.agilent.com/ and click on ‘Core Facilities’ from the left-hand menu. This will display all Pitt cores that are currently live in iLab. On the top right, select ‘Cores at Other Institutions’ in the dropdown menu. In the search bar, type the institution or core name you are looking for.
Note: Please check with the external core if a contract is needed, such as a service agreement or MTA prior to requesting services.
Personnel Roles
The first role is a Research Core Facility (RCF) User. Almost all students (undergraduate and graduate) and most postdocs will fit in this role. Those acting in this role will need an account and will want to be able to log in and sign up for time on a machine or services from a facility. To get started, they will need support from a Lab Level Administrator.
Training for iLab Users:
Registration Guide for External Users (DOCX)
Getting Started with iLab (DOCX)
The second role is as a Lab Level Administrator. This role is intended for Principal Investigators (PIs) who are conducting research using their own source of funding. Examples include grants and department funds. Sometimes PIs will have a Lab Manager who manages their lab. The Lab Manager will have the same access and permissions as the PI.
Lab Administrators must grant Users working in that lab access to funds and will not be permitted to reserve equipment or access services until they have funds assigned to them.
Lab Administrators have the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Manages lab memberships
- Manages lab fund assignments
- Manages lab budgets
- Manages payment selections on services
- Manges payment selections on equipment reservations
- Reviews, approves, and manages all lab invoices
Training for Lab administrators is available.
If you are a principal investigator (PI) and have received funds and an account, we recommend reviewing the iLab PI User Training video, so you can set up your lab and enable those working for you to access and charge your accounts.
If you are a PI and have funding through both the University of Pittsburgh and either UPMC or the Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation (MWRI), then you will have to create a special virtual lab to allow you to charge those accounts. Follow the instructions in the Getting Started with iLab document linked below.
Getting Started with iLab (DOCX)
Joint Appointments Workflow (DOCX)
Required Use of Expiration Dates for iLab User Offboarding (DOCX)
Reassigning Accounts After PI Departure (DOCX)
Approvers for Use of Non-Sponsored Accounts (e.g., 02 and 04 accounts)
The first time a Principal Investigator (PI) requests access to an 02 or an 04 account, administrators in charge of those accounts will receive an email requesting administrator’s approval. In the email, iLab will provide you with a link to our pitt.ilab.agilent.com site. When you click on the embedded link, the system will tell you who is requesting permission to use which accounts. Please click on the link to approve or reject access to the account. iLab will take you directly to the approve/reject page. If the person should have access, then approve its use. If the person is not supposed to have access, then reject the approval.
- Pending access requests to Non-Sponsored Account Numbers will appear in the first section.
- Use the action buttons to the right to ‘Approve’ or ‘Reject’ the request. For those organizations that allocate funding by reference codes, users will be required to select their code(s) within the system.
Lab Administrators can communicate with other Pitt Lab administrators via rcf-lab-administrator@list.pitt.edu. This is a large mailing list; please use this thoughtfully.
Some Departments at Pitt leverage an additional role – the Department Financial Manager. Department Financial Managers manage a group of Laboratories, and have the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Manages department level research groups
- Accesses all department level invoices
- Runs department level reporting
If your department or school would like to have someone act in this role, email cores@pitt.edu.
Core Facility Management Roles
The next set of roles are for those managing a core or group of cores. Pitt uses a couple of core-level roles for those overseeing work in a single core facility.
- Core Level roles can ask questions and share answers with others at this level through the rcf-facility-directors@list.pitt.edu mailing list. Faculty directors may wish to collaborate as well; they can reach each other through the rcf-faculty-directors@list.pitt.edu mailing list.
The Core Administrator has the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Full access to core’s site and members
- Manages all administrative settings
- Accesses all editing functions
- Runs billing and reporting
Training Material for this Role:
Core Centralized Billing Manual (DOCX)
The Core Manager role is typically filled by those are serve as an assistant to someone using the Core Administrator role. Someone in this role has the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Edits content on the About Our Core, Request Services, and Schedule Equipment tabs
- Manages requests and calendars
- Runs billing and reporting capabilities
Pitt has found it useful to group the management of shared research core facilities into three Organization Level Administrative Roles – one for Lower Campus, one for Upper Campus, and one for the Hillman Cancer Center. Each of the organizations has an administrator.
The Organization Administrator, who has the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Runs organization wide reporting
- Controls organization level settings
- Views organization level core statistics
- Views all organization memberships including research groups
- Reviews organization wide billing list and details
- Views organization wide invoices
- Wires all users that are active with the organization
- Manages all organization research groups
University-Wide Roles
Finally, iLab is managed by a small team with institution level administrative roles. Pitt uses the following roles.
The Institutional Administrator has the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Runs Institution wide reporting
- Controls Institution level settings
- Views Institution level settings
- Views Institution level core statistics
- Views all institution memberships and organizational levels (including departments, organizations, centers, and research groups)
- Reviews Institution wide billing list and details
- Views Institution wide invoices
- Views all users that are active with the institution
- Manages all institution research groups
Training Material for this Role:
iLab Institution Manual (DOCX)
The Institution Financial Manager has the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Runs Institution wide reporting
- Views Institution level core statistics
- Reviews institution wide billing list and details
- Manages all institution billing; ability to view and run billing events on all cores within the institution
- Views institution wide invoices
- Views all users that are active with the institution
- Manages all institution research groups