Category: Electronic Lab Notebook

Bioproduction now plays a strategic role at the heart of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agri-food, and green chemistry industries and the industry. It refers to the production of complex biological molecules — proteins, antibodies, enzymes, hormones, membranes, or other macromolecules — using living systems such as microorganisms, animal cells, or plant cells. In this context, the Electronic Laboratory Notebook ( ELN ) has emerged as a strategic tool to structure, exploit, and enhance data throughout the entire development and production lifecycle.

These biotechnological approaches have profoundly transformed the healthcare sector by enabling the development of innovative treatments for diseases that were previously difficult to address: rare, chronic, or degenerative diseases, cancers, as well as advanced therapeutic strategies such as vaccines, gene therapy, and cell therapy.

However, this innovation capacity comes with increasing operational complexity. Bioproduction processes rely on tightly controlled parameters — culture conditions, strains, media, batches, equipment, time, pH, temperature — and generate large volumes of heterogeneous and critical data. Mastering this data has become a central challenge to ensure reproducibility, quality, regulatory compliance, and industrial performance.

In this context, the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) is no longer limited to being a simple scientific documentation tool. It has become a true digital foundation for bioproduction, capable of structuring experimental data, facilitating collaboration between R&D, production, and quality teams, and supporting industrial scale-up. When strategically adopted and integrated, the ELN becomes a key lever for transforming biological data into a sustainable competitive advantage.

The Specific Challenges of Bioproduction

Bioproduction relies on sensitive processes that are highly dependent on experimental conditions (temperature, pH, time, strains, media, batches, equipment). See more here ! Reproducibility, traceability, and parameter control are essential, both during R&D phases and during scale-up or industrial transfer.

Laboratories face several recurring challenges:

• dispersion of data across paper notebooks, Excel files, specialized software, and unconnected databases,
• difficulty capitalizing on experimental history to optimize processes,
• increasing requirements for traceability, regulatory compliance, and auditability,
• the need for seamless collaboration between R&D, production, quality, and data teams.

The Key Role of the Electronic Laboratory Notebook

A modern ELN makes it possible to centralize all experimental data related to bioproduction processes in a secure digital environment. It replaces paper notebooks and becomes a true foundation for managing scientific and technical knowledge.

In practice, an ELN provides:

• consistent structuring of experiments, protocols, and results,
• full traceability of data, versions, and user contributions,
• fast access to experimental history, facilitating process optimization,
• real-time collaboration between teams, sites, and partners,
• improved preparedness for regulatory requirements (quality, audits, compliance).

ELN and Advanced Exploitation of Bioproduction Data

Beyond simply digitizing laboratory notebooks, next-generation ELNs play a key role in the advanced exploitation of bioproduction data. Data generated from fermentations, cell cultures, or pilot-scale trials can be cross-analyzed, visualized, and explored to identify trends, critical success factors, or optimization levers.

This data-driven approach is particularly strategic for:

• continuous improvement of process yields and robustness,
• technology transfer between R&D and production,
• industrial scale-up,
• reduction of development costs and timelines.

The ELN as a Laboratory and Role Management Tool

Beyond bioproduction itself, laboratory performance also depends on clear organization of roles, responsibilities, and resources. In this context, the electronic laboratory notebook plays a central role in team coordination and the smooth execution of daily operations.

Through templates and inventory management, a modern ELN can be adapted to the different roles within a laboratory.

Laboratory Technicians

For technicians, the ELN becomes a day-to-day operational tool.
Experiment and protocol templates allow them to:

• follow standardized and validated procedures,
• quickly enter results and production parameters,
• reduce errors related to manual re-entry or inconsistent formats,
• easily access necessary information (batches, equipment, reagents).

Integrated inventory management also ensures that consumables and raw materials are available, traceable, and properly linked to the experiments performed.

Project Managers

For project managers, the ELN provides a cross-functional view of laboratory activities.
They can:

• structure projects using templates adapted to different phases (R&D, pilot, industrialization),
• track the progress of experiments and bioproduction campaigns,
• quickly identify bottlenecks or deviations,
• coordinate interactions between R&D, production, and quality teams.

The ELN thus becomes a management and steering tool, not just a documentation system.

Laboratory Managers

Laboratory managers benefit from a consolidated view of activities and resources.
With an ELN, they can:

• oversee equipment usage and inventory levels,
• ensure compliance with procedures and internal standards,
• facilitate knowledge transfer between teams and sites,
• anticipate human and material resource needs.

This centralization improves decision-making and strengthens operational control.

Quality Control (QC) Managers

For quality managers, the ELN is a strategic asset.
It enables them to:

• rely on templates aligned with regulatory requirements,
• ensure full traceability of data and approvals,
• facilitate audits and inspections,
• analyze non-conformities and implement corrective actions.

Integrating inventory and batch management into the ELN further strengthens the reliability of the quality system.

Toward More Flexible ELNs Aligned with Real-World Needs

The needs of bioproduction stakeholders are evolving rapidly. Rigid ELNs, with limited customization or overly focused on documentation, are showing their limitations. Teams now expect platforms that can adapt to their specific workflows, data types, and operational constraints.

Modern ELN solutions, based on SaaS and no-code approaches, enable the creation of tailored environments: customized experimental forms, monitoring dashboards, and links between experimental data, analytical results, and production parameters. This flexibility is a key driver of adoption and value creation.

Olympeis: An ELN Designed to Orchestrate Bioproduction and Laboratory Management

In this demanding context, Olympeis was designed as much more than a simple electronic laboratory notebook. It is a modular, no-code, and collaborative platform built to adapt to the real-world needs of bioproduction laboratories.

A Role-Oriented Platform

Olympeis makes it easy to create customized templates based on user roles:

• experimental protocols for technicians,
• project tracking for project managers,
• management dashboards for laboratory managers,
• quality forms and audit trails for QC teams.

Each user benefits from an environment tailored to their role while working on a shared, coherent data foundation.

Integrated Inventory and Resource Management

Olympeis integrates inventory, batch, equipment, and consumable management directly into the ELN. Experimental data is automatically linked to the resources used, which:

• strengthens traceability,
• facilitates post-production analysis,
• improves reproducibility,
• secures quality processes.

Flexibility, Scalability, and Compliance

Thanks to its SaaS and no-code approach, Olympeis evolves with the laboratory without heavy development efforts. Workflows can adapt as processes, regulatory requirements, or industrial scale-up evolve.

The platform also integrates essential compliance mechanisms: version history, access control, audit trails, electronic signatures, and data security.

A Lever for Collective Performance

By centralizing data, processes, and roles within a single tool, Olympeis enables laboratories to:

• collaborate more effectively,
• better manage their activities,
• reduce organizational friction,
• fully exploit the value of their bioproduction data.

Olympeis thus becomes a true digital foundation for modern laboratories, serving industrial performance, quality, and innovation.

Conclusion

In a context where bioproduction is becoming increasingly complex, regulated, and data-driven, the electronic laboratory notebook is no longer a simple documentation tool. It has become a core pillar of performance, traceability, and innovation for laboratories and industrial organizations.

Adopting an ELN tailored to the challenges of bioproduction not only secures data but also unlocks its full potential to optimize processes and strengthen industrial competitiveness.

In 2026, scientific and industrial research has entered a new era. Data volumes are exploding, regulatory requirements are becoming increasingly stringent, and R&D teams are more distributed than ever. In this context, continuing to work with paper notebooks or fragmented digital tools has become a real barrier to performance and innovation. The Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) is no longer optional — it is now a standard.

1. The End of the “Paper” Laboratory

Paper lab notebooks were long considered the norm, but they are now completely misaligned with the reality of modern laboratories. They are difficult to share, impossible to properly back up, poorly secured, and incompatible with the massive volumes of data generated by today’s instruments.

In 2026, laboratories produce data from connected instruments, analytical tools, modeling software, and bioinformatics platforms. Attempting to manage all this using Excel files, shared folders, and paper notebooks is not only inefficient — it is risky.

An ELN makes it possible to centralize all this information in a structured, traceable, and secure environment.

Electronic Laboratory Notebook vs Paper Notebook

👉 In 2026, paper notebooks no longer meet either scientific or industrial requirements.

2. Traceability and Compliance Have Become Critical

Regulatory requirements (GLP, GMP, ISO, FDA, EMA, etc.) have never been stricter. Every experimental data point must be traceable, auditable, and justifiable. In 2026, good intentions are no longer enough: authorities expect systems capable of guaranteeing data integrity (ALCOA+, audit trails, electronic signatures, versioning).

An electronic laboratory notebook provides native traceability: every modification is recorded, every user is identified, and every result is timestamped. This has become a prerequisite for any organization aiming to industrialize its results or collaborate with international partners.

3. Collaboration Has Become the Norm

R&D teams are no longer all located in the same building. They are often spread across multiple sites, countries, or even organizations (CDMOs, universities, startups, large corporations). In 2026, laboratory performance depends on its ability to collaborate efficiently.

An ELN enables instant sharing of protocols, results, raw data, and analyses while maintaining precise access rights. Gone are the days of files sent by email, multiple versions, and information loss.

4. Data Has Become a Strategic Asset

Experimental data is no longer used solely for publication or hypothesis validation. It is now reused for process optimization, AI, modeling, intellectual property, and economic valorization. In 2026, the most successful organizations are those that know how to leverage their data over the long term.

A well-structured ELN turns past experiments into a true scientific asset — searchable, reusable, and exploitable at scale.

5. The Laboratory Must Be as Agile as the Rest of the Organization

Innovation cycles are shortening, projects evolve rapidly, and priorities shift constantly. Rigid tools that are difficult to adapt or configure hinder agility. Modern ELNs allow laboratories to create customized workflows, adapt forms, integrate instruments, and automate certain tasks.

In 2026, a laboratory notebook is no longer just a data entry tool — it is an R&D management platform.

6. Olympeis: The Electronic Laboratory Notebook Designed for the Labs of Tomorrow

In this context, Olympeis was designed as a new generation of electronic laboratory notebook, tailored to the realities of modern research, bioproduction, and regulated environments.

Olympeis does not merely replace paper.
It acts as the laboratory’s nervous system, connecting experiments, data, projects, teams, and quality processes.

Thanks to its no-code and modular approach, Olympeis enables laboratories to:

• create their own experiment and protocol templates,
• structure data according to their business workflows,
• track projects, batches, equipment, and resources,
• collaborate in real time across R&D, production, and quality teams,
• and ensure full traceability and regulatory compliance.

Unlike rigid ELNs, Olympeis adapts to real-world laboratory use cases:
chemistry, formulation, bioproduction, analytics, quality control, academic research, or industry.

By placing scientific data, collaboration, and flexibility at the heart of the platform, Olympeis enables laboratories to turn their ELN into a powerful lever for performance, innovation, and competitiveness.

Conclusion

Adopting an electronic laboratory notebook in 2026 is not a matter of modernity — it is a matter of competitiveness. Laboratories that continue to rely on fragmented, manual, or outdated tools fall behind in productivity, compliance, and innovation capacity.

Conversely, those that invest in a modern, collaborative, and data-driven platform gain the ability to accelerate discoveries, secure results, and transform R&D into a true growth engine.

The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) has become an essential tool for modern laboratories. While paper lab notebooks were the standard for decades, the digitalization of research data is transforming the way scientists record, share, and leverage their results.

In this article, we explore what an electronic lab notebook is, its practical uses in different contexts, and how it has evolved to become a cornerstone of the laboratory of the future.

📖 What is a paper lab notebook?

Before digital solutions emerged, the paper lab notebook was the central tool of scientific research.

It is a bound notebook, often numbered and dated, in which researchers recorded:

• Experimental protocols
• Observations and results
• Diagrams, sketches, or attached photos
• Dates and signatures of experimenters

Advantages of the paper notebook

• Easy to use: no training needed
• Very low cost
• Freeform annotation, including drawings
• Legal and evidentiary value (if properly maintained, signed, and dated)

Limitations of the paper notebook

• Risk of loss, deterioration, or falsification
• Difficult to share
• Slow and tedious information retrieval
• No integration with other tools
• Low security and no backup

Electronic lab notebooks emerged precisely to overcome these limitations.

📌 What is an Electronic Lab Notebook?

An ELN is software that replaces the traditional paper notebook used by researchers to record their experiments, protocols, results, and observations.

It is a digital platform providing:

• Centralized scientific data
• Full traceability of experiments
• Real-time collaboration between researchers
• Secure storage and backup of sensitive information
• Regulatory compliance (ISO, GLP, FDA 21 CFR Part 11)

In other words, an ELN is far more than a digital notepad — it is a true scientific activity management tool.

🔎 Why use an Electronic Lab Notebook?

Switching to digital brings significant advantages compared to paper notebooks or scattered files (Word, Excel).

1. Time savings and efficiency

• Instant search for protocols or results
• No duplicates or multiple versions
• Standardization of workflows

2. Enhanced collaboration

• Data sharing across researchers, teams, or sites
• Real-time co-editing and commenting
• Remote access for multi-site projects

3. Security and compliance

• Automatic backups and strong data protection
• Electronic signatures and timestamps
• Compliance with international regulations

4. Research data valorization

• Tracking protocol evolution
• Improved reproducibility
• Protection of intellectual property

⏳ The evolution of lab notebooks: from paper to digital

The history of lab notebooks mirrors the evolution of scientific research.

Traditional paper lab notebook

• Long the reference tool: handwritten, numbered, dated
• Simple and low cost
• But hard to share, fragile, and not secure

Digital files (Word, Excel, PDF)

• First step towards digitalization
• Easy to create and duplicate
• But multiple versions, poor traceability, limited collaboration

Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN)

• Centralized and secure data
• Multi-user and multi-site collaboration
• Integration with lab tools (LIMS, analysis software)

Today, the ELN is becoming the new standard — just like project management or CRM software in other industries.

⚖️ Paper vs Electronic Lab Notebook: comparison

👉 In summary:
The paper notebook is still suitable for small teams or simple academic use, while the ELN is now the standard for modern labs—especially when collaboration, compliance, or data valorization are needed.

🧪 Concrete uses of the Electronic Lab Notebook

The ELN is not reserved for big pharmaceutical companies. Its uses cover many types of organizations.

🔬 For researchers

• Quickly record protocols and results
• Retrieve past experiments in seconds
• Access data from the lab or remotely

✅ For quality managers

• Ensure regulatory compliance
• Simplify internal and external audits
• Track every step and modification

📊 For R&D management

• Gain a global view of ongoing projects
• Optimize planning and resource allocation
• Leverage research data for better decision-making

🏫 In academia

• Standardize team practices
• Improve reproducibility of publications
• Train students in modern digital tools

🔬 ELN vs LIMS: differences and complementarity

Two digital tools frequently appear in lab environments:
ELN (Electronic Lab Notebook) and LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System).
They are often confused but serve different purposes.

🎯 Primary role

• ELN: documents scientific experiments. Replaces paper notebooks; stores protocols, results, notes.
• LIMS: manages laboratory workflows, samples, and logistics. Tracks samples, organizes resources, ensures compliance reporting.

👉 In short:
The ELN supports scientific work; the LIMS supports operational management.

⚖️ Key differences

🔗 Natural complementarity

Many labs use both:

• The ELN centralizes scientific knowledge and improves reproducibility
• The LIMS ensures operational rigor and compliance

Together, they provide a powerful ecosystem that boosts overall lab efficiency.

🚀 Current and future trends in ELNs

The ELN market is evolving quickly. Key trends include:

• Cloud computing: secure remote access
• Artificial intelligence: auto-suggested protocols, error detection, predictive analysis
• Software integration: connectivity with LIMS, ERP, scientific databases
• Advanced customization: solutions tailored to specific workflows
• Enhanced security: encryption, multi-factor authentication, regulatory-grade storage

🔎 Discover Olympeis, our Electronic Lab Notebook designed for modern laboratories

🌐 A platform built for today’s research challenges

Olympeis is not just an ELN — it is a platform designed to adapt to the realities of modern science: skyrocketing data volumes, remote collaboration, and increasingly complex workflows.

⚡ Easy to use and fast to adopt

Many ELNs are too complex.
Olympeis was designed to be intuitive and accessible, even for users unfamiliar with digital tools.
Its clear interface organized by projects, experiments, and samples ensures a smooth onboarding.

🔒 Security and compliance at the core

In regulated environments (biotech, pharma, chemistry, healthcare), compliance is essential.
Olympeis includes:

• Timestamps
• Electronic signatures
• Full audit trail

Guaranteeing integrity and compliance with GLP and FDA 21 CFR Part 11.

🤝 Unlimited collaboration

With Olympeis, teams can:

• Work simultaneously on the same protocol
• Share results easily
• Annotate experiments directly

Whether in the same facility or spread across several sites.

🛠️ A customizable solution

Unlike rigid platforms, Olympeis is highly flexible:

• Custom protocol templates
• Integrations with your existing tools
• Adjustable workflows

This makes it suitable for small teams and large organizations alike.

🚀 Toward a more efficient and sustainable laboratory

By reducing reliance on paper, Olympeis helps labs:

• Save time
• Reduce errors
• Improve sustainability

Digitalization improves both operational efficiency and environmental responsibility.

✅ Conclusion: an essential tool for the modern laboratory

The Electronic Lab Notebook is no longer optional — it is an essential step for any lab seeking efficiency, reliability, and compliance.

Whether improving researcher productivity, strengthening quality traceability, or delivering better strategic insights for R&D, the ELN is now a central pillar of the laboratory of the future.

👉 By choosing a solution like Olympeis, you gain a modern, intuitive, customizable ELN designed to meet your scientific needs and accelerate your research projects.

Discover Olympeis, a new generation of ELN designed for demanding laboratories

In a rapidly evolving scientific world—where data volumes are exploding, collaboration spans across countries, and traceability has become a major challenge—more and more laboratories are asking themselves a simple question: Is it finally time to leave paper behind and go for an ELN ?

At Informatics for Bio-Companies, we designed Olympeis, a digital lab notebook (ELN) built to meet the needs of today’s laboratories. It is now available and ready to transform your daily work.

📉 The limitations of paper notebooks

Paper lab notebooks are still widely used, often out of habit or because they seem simple. But they come with major drawbacks:

• Data loss: a forgotten, torn, lost, or misplaced notebook… and weeks of work can disappear.
• Lack of clarity and standardization: handwritten notes, personal abbreviations, and inconsistent layouts make data difficult to exploit.
• Tedious searching: finding a specific piece of information in a 300-page notebook takes time—a lot of time.
• Zero connectivity: impossible to link data across projects, generate exports, or collaborate efficiently.

🚀 Why switch to a digital lab notebook?

An ELN like Olympeis is far more than a digital version of paper. It enables:

✅ Better organization of experiments, projects, and results
🔍 Instant searching across all your historical data
🧠 Long-term knowledge retention for the whole laboratory
🔒 Full traceability: versioning, electronic signatures, activity logs
🤝 Seamless collaboration with multi-user, real-time work

🧪 Integration into everyday lab workflows

A common concern when going digital is the fear of disrupting habits.
With Olympeis, we focused on an intuitive interface that feels natural to scientists:

📂 Experiments are organized by project and by day—just like a real notebook.
⏱ You can write faster and attach files, images, analysis results, and more.
🔄 Reusable templates avoid retyping recurring procedures.
🔧 Experiment planning, equipment booking (in development!), and stock tracking are centralized in one tool.

Result: smooth adoption with no steep learning curve.

🔐 What about data security?

Digitalization naturally raises questions about data protection.
With Olympeis:

• Your data is stored in a secure environment, with regular backups.
• Access rights can be precisely controlled—who can view, edit, or validate each item.
• A full modification history is maintained to guarantee traceability.

This allows you to stay compliant with regulatory requirements—while gaining peace of mind.

🌱 A progressive and supported adoption

We know that changing tools requires guidance. That’s why we provide:

• Hands-on onboarding
• A responsive team available for your questions and suggestions

And since Olympeis is still being rolled out, your feedback is incredibly valuable.
You can actively contribute to shaping the tool according to your real needs.

⚙️ An ELN that goes further: project management, planning, stocks, and instruments

Unlike most solutions on the market, Olympeis doesn’t stop at experiment recording. It allows you to:

• Manage research projects, milestones, and priorities
• Plan upcoming experiments in a shared visual calendar
• Track reagent, consumable, and sample inventory
• Reserve and monitor equipment usage (in development!)

🧬 A response to strategic challenges in life sciences

The digital lab notebook is now a strategic asset to:

• Protect and enhance your intellectual property
• Secure collaborations with public or private partners
• Prepare for quality upgrades or certifications
• Better steer R&D, clinical, or industrial projects

It is also a major advantage for biotech leaders, CROs, deeptech startups, and academic platforms upgrading their structure.

📣 Discover Olympeis today

We are opening Olympeis to new pilot users to gather maximum real-world feedback.

👉 Contact us now to book a personalized demo
👉 Use the Olympeis link to sign up and start your free trial

🎯 In summary

Switching to a digital lab notebook like Olympeis means:

• Structuring your data
• Gaining rigor, speed, and clarity
• Collaborating better
• Preparing for the future

Ready to transform the way you work in the lab?

As scientific data grows exponentially and documentation rigor becomes more crucial than ever, the digital lab notebook—or ELN (Electronic Lab Notebook)—is becoming an essential tool for biologists.
But why switch to digital? And more importantly, how do you choose an ELN suited to your biological research needs?
This article guides you step by step.

🔍 Why Should Biologists Adopt a Digital Lab Notebook?

For years, the paper notebook has been the go-to tool in laboratories. Yet it quickly shows its limits in modern research environments that are collaborative, multi-instrument, and data-driven.
Here are a few key reasons to migrate to an ELN:

• Enhanced traceability: every modification is recorded, timestamped, and linked to a specific user.
• Data security: no more lost or damaged notebooks.
• Simplified search: quickly retrieve past experiments using keywords or filters.
• Improved collaboration: share experiments and results with colleagues, even remotely.
• Regulatory compliance: many standards now require digital, traceable, and secure documentation (GxP, ISO, FDA 21 CFR Part 11).

In biology—where protocols often evolve, results must be meticulously tracked, and data can be sensitive—these advantages quickly become essential needs.
(We also recommend reading this insightful article from the Institut Pasteur on the topic!)

🧾 The Limits of Paper Lab Notebooks

Despite their apparent simplicity, paper notebooks raise multiple challenges in modern biological environments:

• Risk of loss or damage (spilled liquids, torn pages, unsafe storage)
• Lack of traceability: difficult to know who modified what and when
• Limited sharing: notebooks are usually accessible to one person only
• Poor analytical capabilities: no search engine, no link between data and results
• Compliance difficulties: audits often require documentation levels that paper cannot guarantee

Switching to digital ensures your scientific work is secured, structured, and better valorized.

📊 Comparison: Paper Lab Notebook vs. Digital ELN

🧪 In Biology R&D: An ELN as a Catalyst for Innovation

Research and Development (R&D) teams in biology handle complex experimental protocols, documentation of results, and collaborative projects.
An ELN helps them:

• Track project progress in real time
• Easily reuse protocols or scripts
• Centralize multi-omics data and analyses
• Speed up report and publication generation

It becomes a knowledge management and monitoring tool for scientific leaders.

✅ In Quality Control: Digitalization to Reduce Errors

In quality control, documentation rigor is non-negotiable.
An ELN provides:

• Standardized and structured documentation
• Validated and reproducible processes
• Electronic signatures for validation
• Simplified audits through automatic traceability

This drastically reduces human errors and non-conformities.

🏭 In Production: Using ELNs to Track Batches and Standardize Procedures

In biological production environments (recombinant proteins, fermentation, cell culture, etc.), an ELN makes it possible to:

• Track production batches with exact conditions
• Compare reproducibility between runs
• Facilitate technology transfer
• Ensure documentation compliance with regulatory requirements

It becomes a key ally for operational quality and industrial scalability.

✅ Essential Features for a Biology-Oriented ELN

Not all ELNs are created equal.
If you’re a biologist, here’s what to look for:

• Ease of use: intuitive interface, even for non-technical users
• Support for scientific formats: tables, microscopy images, sequencing files, curves, annotated PDFs, etc.
• Integration with other tools: compatibility with your instruments or software (LIMS, bioinformatics tools, data storage systems)
• Collaborative features: comments, notifications, validation workflows, project management
• Security and compliance: secure hosting, access control, audit trail, versioning, electronic signature
• Adaptability: ability to add modules for specific needs (e.g., animal tracking, cell culture, biobank management, etc.)

🧠 How to Choose the Right ELN: Key Steps

Here’s a structured approach to selecting your digital lab notebook:

1. Identify your use cases: Are you in academic, clinical, or biotech research? Do you need to track only protocols, or also results, metadata, and materials?
2. Involve users: Biologists, engineers, and quality managers all have different expectations.
3. Compare solutions: Open-source, proprietary, off-the-shelf, or custom-built? Try demos of several options.
4. Check compliance: Ensure your ELN meets your field’s legal and ethical standards.
5. Consider scalability: Your ELN should grow with you—more data, users, or modules.

💡 Olympeis: An ELN Designed for Demanding Biologists

At Informatics for Bio-Companies, we developed Olympeis, a digital lab notebook designed by and for biologists.
Our goal? To combine simplicity, compliance, and adaptability.

With Olympeis, you can:

• Easily document your experiments, results, and observations
• Centralize your data, files, images, and scripts
• Collaborate in teams with differentiated access rights
• Save time with a clear and fluid interface
• Ensure compliance without compromising usability

Have specific needs? Our team can tailor Olympeis to your protocols, workflows, and existing tools.

👉 You can already try Olympeis for free right here.

📩 Want to Learn More?

Whether you’re exploring options or ready to take the next step, contact us for a personalized Olympeis demo.
See how the right ELN can truly transform the way you work in the lab.

Introduction

As scientific data management becomes increasingly complex, the digital lab notebook has emerged as an essential tool for research laboratories, pharmaceutical industries, and biotech companies.

But what exactly is a digital lab notebook, and why should it replace the traditional paper version? What are its advantages, and how can you choose the right one? This article provides all the answers.

👉 You can also visit the INPI website, which offers a clear definition of what a Lab Notebook is (whether digital or not).

What Is a Digital Lab Notebook?

A digital lab notebook, also called an ELN (Electronic Lab Notebook), is software that enables researchers and technicians to record, organize, and secure their experiments in a digital format.

It replaces paper notebooks by offering advanced features such as:

✅ Entry and structuring of experimental data
✅ Secure storage and traceability
✅ Real-time collaboration
✅ Integration with other analysis tools and laboratory equipment

It meets the new requirements of laboratories in terms of data management, regulatory compliance, and productivity. We already discussed ELNs in our previous article.

Digital Lab Notebook vs. Paper Lab Notebook: A Comparison

Switching to digital therefore represents a significant gain in time, security, and efficiency for research teams.

Why Adopt a Digital Lab Notebook?

Data Security and Traceability
Scientific data is invaluable. An ELN ensures its protection with secure server storage, version history, and continuous backup.

Improved Productivity
Automated data entry, integration with lab instruments, and fast search features save considerable time.

Enhanced Collaboration
A digital lab notebook allows multiple researchers to work on the same project simultaneously, regardless of their location.

Regulatory Compliance
Many industries—particularly pharmaceutical and biotech—require strict experiment traceability. An ELN guarantees compliance (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, ISO, etc.).

How to Choose the Right Digital Lab Notebook?

Before adopting an ELN, consider the following criteria:

📌 Ease of Use: An intuitive interface for quick adoption by your teams.
📌 Data Security and Storage: Hosting on secure servers that comply with standards.
📌 Integration Capabilities: Compatibility with your instruments and other software (LIMS, ERP, analysis tools).
📌 Customization Options: An adaptable tool that matches the specific needs of your lab.
📌 Technical Support and Updates: Reliable assistance to support your digital transition.

OLYMPEIS: A Next-Generation Digital Lab Notebook

At Informatics for Bio-Companies, we have developed OLYMPEIS, an innovative solution designed to revolutionize laboratory data management.

✨ Why choose OLYMPEIS?

✅ Free trial to explore the tool with no commitment
✅ Advanced scientific data security
✅ Intuitive and ergonomic interface
✅ Optimized collaboration to streamline teamwork
✅ Integration with your existing instruments and software

Conclusion

Today, the digital lab notebook is becoming indispensable for laboratories seeking to improve experiment management, strengthen collaboration, and ensure full data traceability.

With Olympeis, we offer a solution tailored to your needs, designed to simplify your daily work and boost productivity.

🔎 Interested? Contact us to learn more and test OLYMPEIS for free!