Debark University

Research and Community Services Core Process Vice president Office

Developers

1. Abinet bizuayehu (MSC) IT dep.t

2. Abebe Alemu (Ass.Profe) CS dep.t
3. Yosef Birhanu (Ass.Profe) CS dep.t
4. Wobie Belay (MSC) IT dep.t
5. Mulatu Yirga (MSC) IT dep.t
6. Lealem Telele (MSC) IT dep.t

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1. Project Title
Technology Adoption Project for Laboratory Information System Management (LIMS) for debark
university in the selected colleges (college of Natural and computational Science, college of
agriculture and environmental science, and college of Health science)

2. Full Name, Title and Address of the Principal Investigator

Name Educational Email Telephone Department Specialization
level

3. Full Name, Title, Address and Roles of Co-Investigators

No Name Educational Email Telephone Department Specialization

level
1

3
4

10

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4. Duration of the Project

Expected Date of Commencement Expected Date of Completion

April 8, 2024 August 8, 2024

5. Full Title of the Technology Transfer Project

Laboratories management system for debark university include (college of Natural and
computational Science, college of agriculture and environmental science, and college of Health
science) Using Adopted Information Technology System, Training the Staff on Operation of New
Equipment, and Transfer the Adopted Technology to other Universities and High Schools.

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6. Executive Summary
A laboratory (lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological
research, experiments and measurement can be performed. Laboratories used for scientific research
take many forms because of the differing requirements of specialists in the various fields of science.
A biologist or chemist might use a wet laboratory, while a physics laboratory might contain a particle
accelerator or vacuum chamber. Scientists in the field of computation are using software for either
simulations, models or the analysis of data collected elsewhere. These fields are working in an
integrated way for their needs for materials and interpretation of their results. Most lab materials in
our labs are placed here and there and managing them for different purposes is time taking, inefficient
and needs large space. Therefore, systematically organizing and integrating or networking all the labs
from all departments using information technology is essential.

Labs from the different departments may have equipment starting from simple to complex like from
glassware to HPLC, PCR Machine, High-Tech Microscope, and Computers with special software. The
use and application of these equipment, especially the complexes need trained users for their longer
life and quality services. Several new and complex equipment are added to the College's labs in this
year. Therefore, giving training on these equipment uses has paramount importance. Having well and
systematically organized printed materials, such as manuals, catalogues, specifications, precaution
signing files, safety rules and others is the other value of each laboratory to deliver effective and quality
services. It is also important to give more care for persons working in a lab, and may be for other
animals used in the lab.

Information system technology which integrates all these activities will be adopted to the labs in the
college. The system will be designed in a way it will provide online access to each lab assistant,
instructor, coordinator, principal and may be postgraduate students with different levels of authority.
The information from the system will be accessible through different mobile devices such as laptops
and smart phones.

In summary, the implementation of the adopted technology will help the college to conduct timely
inventory, to plan materials procurement that can satisfy needs and effective in financial matters, to
rise the number of experiments that should be conducted thereby, improving the quality of education
and research, to implement practically the principles of Kaizen and Deliverology. The financial need

of the project to achieve its objective is ETB 728007.00

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7. Background for the Proposed Project:
The technology, laboratory information management system, has been exercised since 1990 when a
region-wide integrated laboratory information system implemented in Northern California Region
(Pawlick and Davidson, 1996). That is laboratories around the world depend on a laboratory
information management system technology to manage data, assign rights, manage inventory, and
more. Such experiences inspired us to adopt this technology at least at our college level and then
transfer the adopted technology to other universities and high schools.

Practical activities and experiments are very crucial components of a course and research works to
armed learners/trainees in knowledge, skill and attitude for their future careers. Each department can
execute the practical and experimental parts of the courses and research works designed for the
programme to the level of the standard if and only if it has sufficient, well equipped, organized lab
rooms, and skilled manpower. Shulman and Tamir (1973) listed five groups of objectives that may be
achieved through the use of science laboratories: (1) skills - manipulative, inquiry, investigative,
organizational, communicative; (2) concepts - for example, hypothesis, theoretical model, taxonomic
category; (3) cognitive abilities - critical thinking, problem solving, application, analysis, synthesis;
(4) understanding the nature of science - scientific enterprise, scientists and how they work, existence
of a multiplicity of scientific methods, interrelationships between science and technology and among
the various disciplines of science; and (5) attitudes - for example, curiosity, interest, risk taking,
objectivity, precision, confidence, perseverance, satisfaction, responsibility, consensus, collaboration,
and liking science. Recently, both laboratory equipment and scientific instruments are increasingly
being designed and shared using open hardware principles (Pearce, 2014). Having in mind these, we
cannot say labs in the university are well equipped both in materials and manpower to achieve such
science laboratory objectives. The deficiencies could arise due to various reasons. Even the existing
materials are not systematically organized for easily accessibility, inventory, searching and plan for
new and future needs. Totally, what materials are there and what materials are lack in the college are
not well known. All the materials in most labs are organized and described using Bin Card, Data Sheet
and displayed following Kaizen principle. All need to be transformed from such traditional ways to
contemporary technology, online information management system (James, 2003). Therefore, the
existing materials in the labs of the different departments of the College have to be organized in a
modern way for online management. In addition, all the laboratories in the college have to be
networked through information technology. This online networking system will help all the labs in the
College to share information on the availability of materials in each of them. Sharing information in
this way is important to create complementarity to fill gaps in material shortage. As a result of such

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complementarity, especially in chemical and equipment needs, the number of experiments that had not
been done will highly be reduced. This also will reduce wastage of chemicals by balanced the presence
of excess in one lab and shortage in the other lab.

Waste in the lab is not only a hassle, a space consumer, and a financial burden, but an environmental
issue as well (University of Pennsylvania, 2011). Completely eliminating waste is not feasible, but
reducing. Some of the ways to decrease waste in the lab are (1) ordering reasonable amounts of supply;
(2) sharing excess supplies with those don not have but need it; (3) using for the same purpose by
substituting the supplies in less quantity/amount; and (4) eliminating unnecessary chemical use either
by displaying experiments without being replicated or by displaying via video, instead of using
chemicals; and (5) when experiments do need to be conducted by students, team them up to minimize
the chemical use.

Other points which are inspiring us to organize and networking the labs in the college are: (1) in the
near future all the departments in the college will have complex lab both in infrastructure and material;
(2) the issue of implementing the principles of deliverology; (3) its aim to be transformed from
producing undergraduates programmes to producing postgraduates programme and doing high and
problem solving researches. So that due to such and other exercises and experiences the degree of
challenges that would face the college in the future would be lesser.

In this day organizations that operate in a complex and challenging environment must be carefully
managed and monitored their system to assure safety at all levels. This assurance starts with the
building design and carries on through hazardous materials management, from receipt to storage to
disposal (Myneni and Patel, 2010). Laboratory hazards which can varied as the subjects of studies
varied and that might include poisons; infectious agents; flammable; explosive, radioactive materials;
moving machinery; extreme temperatures; lasers, strong magnetic fields; high voltage are the other
side of laboratories that we need to organize them so as to lab users are safe. Therefore, in laboratories
where dangerous conditions might exist, safety precautions are important. Rules must exist and
presented to minimize the individual's risk, and safety equipment exist in the lab must by displayed or
demonstrated for use to protect the lab user from injury or to assist in responding to an emergency. All
these and others can be used effectively if one knows whether they are, and where they are in the lab,
when to use and how to operate them to use. One of the objectives of our project is to make known
these and others by all lab users.

Therefore, adopting the technology for information management system in lab organizations will have
paramount advantages in improving the inputs, processes and outcomes of teaching, research and

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community service. It would also help the college to start preparing to adopt and develop its own
advanced technology in information management systems expected to appear in the near future.

8. Statement of the Need

Debark University has many number of department which provide both undergraduate and Post
graduate programs. All these departments have courses which have practical attachment in one or
another way. Each department has to have laboratory facilities to offer practical courses. Effective
use of labs is based on the availability of necessary materials in the department and the budget
allocated to the college as well as the experience of both the assistant and the teachers in the college. It
is common for a department to have new needs in terms of materials and knowledge to improve the
quality of its learning-teaching, research and community services. Since these needs cannot be fulfilled
easily some of the activities either partially or the whole activities offered without any practical or
experimental support. The reason is not only lack of the materials, knowledgeable and skilled staff but
also the disorganization of the available facilities. A material which is badly needed by one department
may exist in excess or idle in other department. Such disorganization and mismanaging have negative
impact on the planning of procuring the right quantity, quality, and type of material timely. Moreover,
the material may exist in the lab of the department itself but none of its staff recognize its presence for
various reasons, or may not know the applications or the use of the materials.

Currently each lab has no quite clear information on which chemicals are already expired and should
be disposed, what quantity of an item it has, and which material should be purchased next time
immediately. On the other side knowingly or unknowingly the materials, especially chemicals, are
expired for their shelf-life before in use. Printed manuals, catalogues, precaution signing and safety
rule documents cannot be found easily for their purposes, even they might be thrown away out of the
lab rooms. Most labs don not have clearly designed system to avoid risks and to manage possible
sources of risks. Types of risk sources, the degree of risks and dangerousness, prevention mechanisms,
what to do if something is done wrongly or bad things happened are not commonly introduced to lab
users, especially when they come to the lab for the first time. In general, laboratory information
management system technology would have immense outcomes on the improvement of inputs,
processes and outputs in the duties of the college.

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9. Objectives of the Study
9. 1. General Objective
The general objective of the project is networking science laboratories for information sharing in the
university, training the staff on operation of new equipment, accessible all the necessary printed
materials, and transfer the adopted technology to other universities and high schools.

9. 2. Specific Objectives
The specific objectives which would be achieved by the implementation of this project are the
following:

1. To organize lab materials based on the specified ways of categorization, such as usage,
chemical nature, storage etc;
2. To update the skill and knowledge of the staff in the usage and maintenance of equipment;
3. To share information online among the labs;
4. To share materials effectively among the department in the college;
5. To identify actual needs for lab material procurement;
6. To effectively utilize the college or university budget allocated for lab facilities;
7. To avoid incompleteness of courses delivering for their practical components;
8. To train lab assistants on the operation of equipment, at least on selected equipment;
9. To train the college staff on how to access lab information in adopted laboratory management
information system;
10. To organize printed materials such as lab or experiment manuals or procedures, catalogues,
operation instructions, consumables utilization registration logbook, precaution signing, and
safety rule documents;
11. To automate computations that are done on daily basis when laboratory technicians make
chemical solutions and prepare reagents for lab experiments; and
12. To transfer the adopted technology to the high schools and other universities communities.

10. Materials and Methods

10.1. Materials
The materials the team needs for the implementation of this technology adoption project are desktop
computer, Barcode reader, barcode lables, and other limited stationeries (described under 19.1.
Equipment and Consumable), manpower for data collection or listing lab materials, and personal
smart devices for online access.

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10.2. Methods
The first step for the process of organizing laboratory is knowing all the items or lab materials a
department has. Then organizing the materials and lab work related facilities and human resource for
better lab managements. Therefore, to implement the objectives of this technology adoption project,
the following activities will be conducted as methods of implementing the project. First of all as soon
as the project gets approval for implementation and award for fund the system with few items will be
demonstrated to department heads and other experienced lab users for its application and comments.

1. All items in all labs in the College will be listed on paper format designed for the purpose;
2. Items in a lab will be categorized logically based on certain characters;
3. After the items are categorized following some logical organization, each item will be
identified by a unique Barcode based on the laboratory and shelf location of the item.
4. Depend on their logically categories all lab items will be scored in a way suitable for online
inventory;
5. Facilities which will be used to store or install the materials will be given identification codes;
6. Paper template which will provide specific text boxes for an item with specific parameter in
the LIMS will be designed;
7. Paper templates will be transferred to software system template for implementation phase;
8. The system will be designed to give online access for different users and implementers with
differ privileges;
9. Logbook with special and daily based design will be prepared for immediate registration of
consumable items per session;
10. Training needs from the different lab users and system implementers be assessed.
11. Potential trainers from the staff of the college and/or outside the college will be identified;
12. Training will be offered to the trainees when the project team established the system;
13. Documents such as manuals for lab experiments, catalogues to operate and identify equipment,
precaution signing formats and safety rules will be collected and archived;
14. Working document which can describing accountabilities and responsibilities of lab users and
facilitators on the use of the labs and the adopted technology system will be prepared; and
15. The working document will be presented and get approval by Academic Unit Commission
(AUC) to be functional legally.

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11. Benefits and Beneficiaries of the Project
11.1. Benefits
Each department in the college will have well organized information system for its
laboratory/laboratories facilities in terms of items location, description of quantity, description of
quality, shelf-life of items, consumption rate etc. The different departments in the college will having
efficient and skilled staff in teaching and doing experiments. Technical assistants will develop
confidence in the manipulation and minor maintenance of lab equipment. There will be clear and fast
communication and information sharing among assistants, teachers and the department heads.

As a result of the implementation of the LIMS project there will be communication facility for fast
response for procurement needs and efficient inventory at the College level. Similarly, up scaling and
implementing Kaizen and deliverology principles; gaining experience to entertain complex labs; rising
the quality of its teaching; research and community service processes; improving risk management
system; and archiving printed documents will be the other benefits of the proposed project.

11.2. Beneficiaries
Debark University, Departments in the university, Staff, technical assistants and students (both UG
and PG); and other EIs around the University of debark are some of the main beneficiaries from the
proposed project.

12. Technology Adoption Plan

First the different problems were observed in the different labs of the College and understood the
impacts of the problems in impairing the expected performances from each department. Then the team
has been thinking on the solution to solve the problems by planning to adopt LIMS technology. The
team has also a plan to transfer the adopted technology to other Universities and high schools. The
following diagram can depict the whole plan that the team designed for the adoption of the technology.

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 Fig. 1. Technology adoption plan
After completing the implementation of the system, first application server that host the application
will be configured and placed in one of the involved laboratories. Second, the application will be
deployed on the server.

In order to guarantee the successful usage of the system, system usage training will be given to all
users of the system in two phases. In the first phase, technical assistants who are working in the
laboratories will be given system administration and usage training. This training will cover accessing
and managing the system using proper privilege. Different privileges allow system users to accomplish
a variety of tasks such as inserting new items records into the system, updating or deleting existing
items or simply viewing the information available in the system. In the second phase all other system
users, such as Deans, Department Heads, Instructors, and other concerned bodies will be given system
access and usage training according to their role and designed access privileges.

Finally, technical assistants will insert all inventory items found in their laboratory items found in their
laboratories and the proper working of the system will be tested for two –to –three weeks and then the
system will be available for all users.

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13. Proposed Strategies to Measure Impacts
As most important strategy, the team members will meet regularly once in two weeks and present the
status of the project once in a month to the concerned department and once in three months’ time to
the college. All important suggestions and comments from the team members, department staff and
the College/AUC will be incorporated. The first online inventory will be conducted at least in one
department as soon as the project is completed to check the efficiency of the LMIS technology as a
measure for the impact of the project.

The confidence of the technical assistants on the utilization of the system will be evaluated through
the implementation time and after short exercises on the system as one of the means to measure the
impacts of the implementation of the project.

Evaluating the efficiency of communication among the departments and between the college and each
department, inventory in terms of time and material inclusion, technical assistants’ and other users
skill in managing and usage of the system, each department plan and response for material procurement
requests, and each department in covering experimental activities will be used to assess the impact of
the project. Finally, satisfaction of the users in different aspects will be evaluated.

14. Feasibility of the Technology

In the university, there is local intranet access all the time via Wi-Fi terminal connectivity and cable
connections. The university have several departments which are staffed or armed with young staff
enthusiastic for technology. Whether we like or not it is time the College to prepare itself for the actual
implementation Kaizen and Deliverology Plans. An expert from the IT or CS is part of project
coordinator, and other professionals from the different units and departments are the immediate and
volunteer resource experts to work cooperatively regarding the application of information technology.
The College is extremely blessed to have a building to lab complex to a very standard in the near future.
From the accumulated procurement requests for the last four years, at the beginning of this academic
year several new chemicals and equipment are delivered to the different departments. And this needs
great effort to update lab organizations. Therefore, these are some of the good conditions and
opportunities in the College empower the feasibility of the technology.

15. Description of Facilities Available at Sites of Performance

In the university, there is internet access all the time via Wi-Fi and cable connections. The university
has several departments which are staffed or armed with young staff enthusiastic for technology.
Whether we like or not it is time to the College to prepare itself for the upgrading of Kaizen and
implementation of Deliverology principles and plans. Experts from Faculty of Informatics part of the

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project, and other professionals from the different units and departments are the immediate and
volunteer resource experts to work cooperatively regarding the application of LIMS technology. The
College is extremely blessed to have a building for lab complex to a very standard in the near future.
From the accumulated procurement requests for the last four years, at the beginning of this academic
year several new equipment are delivered to the different departments, and this needs great effort to
update lab organizations. Therefore, these are some of the good conditions and opportunities in the
College which would empower the feasibility of the LIMS technology.

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16. References
Gibbon GA. (1996). "A brief history of LIMS" (PDF). Laboratory Automation and Information
Management. 32: 1–5. doi:10.1016/1381-141X(95)00024-K. Retrieved 12 September 2017.

James M. (2003). Collaborative Electronic Notebooks as Electronic Records: Design Issues for the
Secure Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN). Proceedings of the 2003 International
Symposium On Collaborative Technologies and Systems. Retrieved 28 September 2017.

Myneni S, Patel VL. (2010). Organization of Biomedical Data for Collaborative Scientific Research:
A Research Information Management System. Int J Inf Manage., 30: 256–264.
doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.09.005.

Pawlick GF, Davidson PL. (1996). Implementing complex networking laboratory information systems
in a health maintenance organization. Clin Lab Manage Rev., 10: 555-559.

Pearce JM. (2014). Laboratory equipment: Cut costs with open-source hardware. Nature 505, 618.
doi:10.1038/505618d.

University of Pennsylvania (2011). Environmental Health & Radiation Safety (EHRS). Laboratory
Chemical Waste Management Guidelines. Pp. 21

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19. Financial Budget and Breakdown

19.1. Equipment and Consumable

S. No Item Unit Number/ Unit price Total price in
amount in ETB ETB
1 Barcode reading sticker Sheet of 30 lables 1000 6 6,000
2 Large size bounded file /መዝገብ ትልቁ/ Number 12 50 3,000
3 File folder – Kent type Number 20 75 1,500
Total 10,500

19.2. Personnel Costs

S. No Work type Unit Number/amo No. Unit price in Days Total price in
unt) sites ETB
ETB
1 Paper template and system Person 17 1 200 3 10,200
layout development
2 System design Person 5 4 300 14 84,000
3 Lab items scoring on data Persons 20 1 200 20 80,000
sheet by category
4 Data cleaning and classifying Persons 17 4 200 20 54,400

5 Data entry Person 30 1 200 40 240,000

6 System code & Person 5 4 300 20 120,000
implementation
7 System deployment & testing Person 5 1 200 15 15,000
8 Trainers person 30 1 200 5 30,000

+ 633,600ETB

Note: 1. during the learning-teaching time labs are busy for experimental activities not only in
Working hours but also sometimes in the evening. Therefore, project implementers would
be forced to use their weekend, lunch and may be evening times. Thereby, this would have
budgetary and working days’ increment implications.
2. If a department would not have potential staff from its own staff to give training on how to
use and operate equipment, the project will be incurred more money to recruit experts from
outside of the University.

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19.3. Transport Cost
S.No Number of Round travel Round travel cost/head
Total travel
personnel cost
1 6 Debark-to-Bahir Dar 2 6000
2 6 0 type for one 4500
Debark-to- Gondar town 1*1*750 (contractual
day) 0
Total Transport Cost 10500

19.4 training cost

S. No Work Unit Number/a No. Unit price Days Total price in
type mount) sites in ETB
ETB

1 Lab assistances trainee Person 17 4 54.5 5 18,070

2 Teachers trainee Person 17 4 54.5 5 18,070
3 Banner Persons 4 1 650 2,600
Total 38,740.

Note: 1. we considered 30 data entry and 102 trainee are being the part of trainees. Therefore, we have 132
trained manpower.

19.5 BUDGET SUMMARY

No Budget Item Description Total cost

.
1 Equipment and consumable 10,500.00
2 Personnel cost 633,600
3 Transport cost 10500
4 Training cost 38,740.
Sub-Total 693,340.00
Contingency (5%) 34,667.00.
GRAND TOTAL COST (In Birr) 34,667.00. 34,667.00.
728007.00
34,667.00. 34,667.00.
34,667.00. 34,667.00
.

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