Principal Investigator Information

Common PI Workflow

Accessing iLab

• What web browser should I use? What browser is recommended?

  Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are recommended web browsers.

• How do I log into iLab?
  A PI can log in by clicking iLab Portal. Log in using Clemson credentials and authenticating using DUO.
• How do I register for iLab?
  PI’s who do not already have a registered account will be redirected at login and will need to set one up. On the redirected link, select Admin (Clemson) Lab under the PI/Group section. Site administrators will receive a request to create a Group page in iLab. They may reach out to you for information. After accepting you into the Admin (Clemson) Lab, a personal Lab Group will be created and you will be notified.
• How do I access my Lab Group?
  Once logged in users can go to My Group(s) under the dropdown menu on the left-hand side. The group will always be called “[PI Last name], [PI First Name] (Clemson) Lab”.
• What if I can log in but my Lab group does not appear?
  If you are a part of the Fund Approvers (Clemson Lab) but don’t have a Personal Lab group set up, Log in and navigate to the My Group(s) menu, select Request Group Access and choose Admin (Clemson) Lab. From there site administrators will receive a request for you and create your Group page in iLab.

Managing Your Lab Group

• How do I approve members who have requested to join my Lab group?
  In your specific PI Group Page under the Membership Requests & Project IDs tab, Membership Requests section you are able to approve and reject requests. If accepted, the user now is a part of your Group and you have the ability to assign funding to that user. *Note: New members will not be allowed to reserve core equipment until their PI has assigned a fund (Project ID) to them. PI’s will receive an email notification whenever a new student or lab member requests access.
• How do I manually add members to my Lab Group? How do I remove members from my Lab group?
  PI’s can add or remove users from their Lab Group under the Members tab in their specific PI Group page. Clicking the Link Existing User button will allow a PI to add a registered user from another lab into their Lab Group. The Permission level, Auto-Approval amounts, or Start and End dates can be set before adding. Clicking the dumpster icon will completely remove a user from the Lab Group. If they have outstanding charges, the better option may be to set an End date for the user’s association with the Lab Group.
• How do I edit member status and permissions?

  Under the Members tab, clicking the Pencil icon next to a member's name will open the Edit Members window. Here a PI can enter individual Auto-Approval amounts, Permissions, and set Start and End dates for lab members’ associations.

• What are Auto Approval amounts and how do I set them?
  Auto-approval amounts are a dollar threshold that can’t be exceeded for new service requests without PI approval. Members will not be able to make service requests over this amount if the PI does not want them to. This value can be entered under Group Information in the Edit Members window.
• How do I designate a Lab Manager?

  A PI can designate a Lab member to act as a manager for their Lab Group. This designation can be made by going to the Edit Members window and changing the Permission to Manager. A manager may also be made a Core Financial Contact. Lab Managers may only control the access and fund assignments of members within their PI’s Lab Group.

• What can Lab Managers do?

  A Lab Manager can assist their PI by:

  • Manually adding new members to the lab
  • Accepting or Rejecting new member requests
  • Edit Auto-Approval Thresholds
  • Assign Funds to members
  • Make requests for additional funds (Project IDs) to be added to the PI’s page
    *see requests for additional funds below
• What can't a Lab Manager do?
  Approve fund requests for PI’s outside of their lab. Only the person who is named as the Owner of the account in Peoplesoft before it gets sent to iLab can approve or deny those types of requests.
• What is a Core Financial Contact and how do I set one up?

  A PI can also grant their lab manager the ability to act as a financial manager for their lab. A manager who is also a Financial contact will be able to approve requests that exceed auto-threshold amounts, and view invoices that are generated by core facilities.  A Financial Contact can also be set as the primary contact to receive new invoices. To assign a Lab Manager as a Core Financial Contact, open the Edit Members window and click “Core Financial Contact?” at the bottom.

• How do I make a Financial Contact the primary recipient of Invoices?
  After designating a Core Financial Contact, go to the “Group Settings” tab and navigate to the Communication Settings section. Change Lab Primary Contact to the manager with financial contact status.
• How do I set Start and End dates for my lab members to be allowed access to my Lab Group?

  In the Edit Members window, the Start and End Dates for a member’s association can be set. After the desired end date, that user will no longer appear as an active member of the Lab Group.

Managing Your Funds within a Lab Group

• How are funds incorporated into iLab?
  Agilent developers integrated Clemson’s account network (Peoplesoft) into iLab during site building. Clemson project funds are referred to as Project IDs in iLab. Each night, a fund file is sent to Clemson iLab containing all valid sponsored fund accounts (Project IDs beginning in code 14). Non-sponsored Project IDs beginning in code 20, 12, 15, and 22 may need to be specially requested.
• Who is in charge of individual funds?
  PIs who are named as the primary Oowner of a sponsored account will have that account automatically appear on their Membership Requests and Project ID tab. This information comes directly from Peoplesoft. Whomever is listed as the owner on the Clemson accounting side will receive primary authority over the Project ID in iLab.
• Can Core Facility staff members add a fund account for me?
  Core staff has NO authority or access to your Lab group page. As such they cannot access any account information for you. See the following FAQs for assistance in accessing your Project Ids.
• How do I assign funds (Project IDs) to members of my Lab Group?

  Under the Membership Requests and Project ID tab, Manage Project ID section, PIs can assign a fund number to a user. Click the check box of the fund number in the correct row of the user you wish to assign it to.

• How do I remove funds (Project IDs) from a member of my Lab Group?

  To remove a fund number, under the Manage Project ID section simply click the check box under the number and next to the member you want to remove funds from, and it will remove the check. 

• My student tried to reserve equipment in a core facility but is receiving a missing payment information error?
  Visit your Membership Requests and Project ID tab, make sure a fund account is selected next to your student’s name that they can select when they try make reservations. 
• Why do my available funds show different colors?
  Project IDs shown in black are valid. Project IDs shown in yellow are valid but have an upcoming expiration date. Project IDs shown in red have expired and iLab considers them unusable for billing. If you hover over the Project ID #, you will see the fund’s title and its expiration/end date.
• What do I do if my fund is expired?

  Verify the end date of the Project ID. Your department financial admin will know these details if you do not.

  If your project has truly expired, you must select a different Project ID.

  If the project has been extended, reach out to an Institutional Admin before the end of the business day. They will be able to forward the fund number to Peoplesoft requesting an updated expiration/end date in the following day’s fund file.

• Why don't I see a fund that I believe I should have access to?

  There are multiple reasons an account may not appear on your Lab Group page:

  • Only sponsored accounts automatically appear on your page. The fund may not be a sponsored account. An access request must be made. If you are the owner of that fund, you will receive notification and be able to approve the request for yourself
  • The fund does not list you as the Owner in the fund file that was sent to iLab from Peoplesoft. This is one of the most common reasons. In order to use that fund, an access request must be made. The fund owner will receive notification to approve or deny your request. You may also reach out to the fund owner if your request isn’t approved in a timely manner.
  • The account you are looking for is new and has not yet been included in the iLab nightly fund file. If you enter the proper chartstring into the request portal and receive error messages, contact an Institutional Admin with the full account string.
• How do I Add or Request access to additional funds?
  In the Membership Requests and Project ID tab, Request access to additional Project IDs section, a PI can submit a request to another fund. To add a new fund, type the full number in the correct format (Account Code in the third box should always be 7359), and click Request. An acknowledgement of the pending request will appear below, showing the requestor (You) and the owner of the fund. The owner of the fund will get an iLab notification, but you may also send them a personal reminder if you need immediate access.
• How long does it take to gain access to a new fund?

  iLab receives fund information from university Peoplesoft after close of business each night. If you contact an Institutional Admin before 4:30 pm you will likely receive access to the fund by next morning.

• I placed a fund access request and received an error message. What do I do now?

  First verify that the proper Project ID was typed into the request window (do not omit account code 7359). Try again. If you continue to receive an error, this is either a new account that has not yet appeared in the nightly fund file, or it is a non-sponsored account that needs to be manually added. Contact an Institutional Admin to ensure that Project ID is included in the next day’s fund file.

• I placed a fund request and the owner has not accepted it. What do I do now?

  When you first placed the request iLab sent a notification directly to the Owner for approval or rejection. If they have not acknowledged that request, you should reach out to them as a reminder that your request is pending. 

• I placed a fund request and the owner accepted it. What do I do now?

  Once you receive notification of the fund owner’s decision, verify that the fund appears on your page. The prior acknowledgement below the fund request portal should now state the request has been resolved. Ensure that the checkbox in the column below the account number is selected next to your name and the name of any students or lab members you have approved to use that account.

• I placed a Fund request and I am listed as both the Requestor and Owner of the account. What do I do now?

  Open the dropdown menu on the left side of your screen. Select “View Funds” to see all pending access requests. Next to yours, select “Approve.” Return to your Lab group page and ensure that the checkbox in the column below the account number is selected next to your name and the name of any students or lab members you have approved to use that account.

• I placed a fund request and the Owner is not a fellow research PI, but a departmental account manager. What do I do?

  When you first placed the request iLab sent a notification directly to the Owner for approval or rejection. If they have not acknowledged that request, you should reach out to them as a reminder that your request is pending. If the departmental account manager is unfamiliar with iLab, they can easily view your request by following these steps.

• I was under a credit/voucher arrangement with the Core and will not formally pay for the service. Do I still need to use a project ID for the reservations and requests?

  Yes. iLab requires a Payment method on file for all rendered services to be catalogued. A selection must still be made before submitting the request or reservation. Core Staff will be able to waive fees, create no-cost equipment categories, or generate $0 invoices where necessary.

• How do I Remove/Disable funds from my Lab Group page altogether?

  Under the Membership Request and Project IDs tab, navigate to the Disable/Enable Project IDs section. Uncheck the box for the corresponding account number and click “Save Changes” The account will disappear from the list above. *Be mindful that any charges that have not been paid prior to disabling the account will now show invalid payment method and need to use another method. Visit this menu again to Enable any previously disabled accounts as long as the fund has not expired.

• I placed a fund access request and the owner accepted it. What do I do now?

  Once you receive notification of the fund owner’s decision, verify that the fund appears on your page. The prior acknowledgement below the fund request portal should now state the request has been resolved. Ensure that the checkbox in the column below the account number is selected next to your name and the name of any students or lab members you have approved to use that account.

• I received an iLab email notification that another PI has requested access to a fund/Project ID. What do I do?

  You may receive an email from iLab notifying you that another PI is requesting access to a Project ID that you are the owner of. Click the “Visit your Project ID page to accept or reject the request” link to see pending fund requests. If they are an authorized user, Click Approve. If not, type a reason in the Notes section and click Reject.

• A PI has reached out to me personally saying they sent a request to access a fund/Project ID. I missed the notification email from iLab. How do I view Requests to add funds to another PI's Lab Group?

  Log in to iLab. On the left side menu, click “View Funds” to see pending fund access requests from other PI’s. If they are an authorized user, Click Approve. If not, type a reason in the Notes section and click Reject.

• Can I designate another Principal Investigator or Lab Manager to my Lab Group in order to handle fund requests from other faculty/PI?

  No, only the PI who is named Owner of a fund (Project ID) can approve or deny requests to access that fund outside of their lab group. If the Owner of a project ID is a  , then that individual will be responsible for approving or denying requests to access that fund.

Usage Tracking and Billing

• How can I review requests made by my lab members?

  When first logging in to iLab a PI will see any open or pending service requests made by their lab members to any of the research Cores. To see older requests, use the left side dropdown menu and select View Requests.

• How will I be billed?
  The Clemson Core research facilities will generate invoices using the Project IDs selected by PI’s and their members at the time a request was made or equipment was used. Cores should send copies of invoices to PI’s for their approval before submitting invoices for processing.
• Who can view Invoices?

  Any lab member who has the permission of PI or Manager can view invoices generated by other lab group members.

• How do I find and view Invoices?
  When logging in to iLab, go to the left side dropdown menu and click Invoices. The individual invoices can be viewed by selecting the magnifying glass icon. Invoiced items are organized and displayed by the name of the user who accrued the charges, and by the Request ID code that the charges fell under.
• How do I approve Invoices?

  If a core has sent you notification through iLab of a new invoice, select the link in the email to go directly to the invoice. Select Click here to approve at the top of the invoice. That will mark the invoice as ready for processing.

• How do I dispute a charge?

  When viewing an invoice, if a PI disagrees with a charge they can click the orange flag next to the charge to initiate a dispute. Core administration will receive notification and begin resolution. Disputed charges that have been resolved will have a green flag next to them. 

• What happens if I do not approve an or dispute any charges? Invoice

  If an invoice is not approved and charges have not been disputed within seven days of the invoice creation date, iLab will mark the invoice as Auto-Approved. It can then be sent by the Core to Clemson’s ERP for processing.

• How do I change the Payment Method on my invoices?

  When viewing and invoice, a PI can click Select Payment Method under the Invoice Total. A series of prompts will display asking if the PI wants to change the method for all charges on the invoice.

• How do I change the Payment Method or Split individual charges?

  When viewing an invoice, if a PI desires to split charges across multiple Project IDs they can click the $ icon at the far right of the request ID code to open a Payment Information window. Clicking the checkbox next to each charge will allow the PI to change the project ID. Clicking “Split Charge” will open another payment method box to select a separate Project ID and enter the percentage of total charges to be allocated. Click Save.

• How do I create reports?
  When you log into the main iLab homepage, you can visit Reporting under the left side dropdown menu. You will be able to choose from three categories of reports for the Lab Group that you manage. For more information about Reporting in iLab visit the iLab Reporting Tutorial Page.