Over the last few years, LIMS – which stands for Laboratory Information Management System – has been changing the way laboratories have been managing their data.
While it was originally built for environmental labs, in the last few years, nearly 50% of all laboratories worldwide used LIMS software, with another 44% planning to use LMS within the next few years.
The meteoric tendencies of this rise can be seen in the LIMS market revenue. Back in 2021, the market of LIMS was reportedly worth an estimated $1.1 billion.
With a CAGR of 13.2%, however, this number is expected to hit $2.1 billion by 2026, with an estimated value of $3.56 billion by 2030.
Across the world, laboratories are implementing LIMS, as well as the even more impressive materials informatics offshoot, into their everyday operations.
So why are they doing this, and how does LIMS help processes? Well, to understand that, it’s first important to define what “laboratory information management systems” really means:
Understanding LIMS
LIMS is very similar in function to several data management systems that have been implemented throughout the business world.
At first, it was only believed that systems like this would be needed for data-heavy industries – industries with the largest amount of data spread across multiple sectors.
But LIMs have changed over time, and over the last few years, it has become possible to efficiently manage research, development, and test products to revolutionise the field of science.
In short, LIMS is a software solution to support a number of complex laboratory operations, providing a way to track, organise, centralise and even predict tasks that have or will happen in a lab.
Why Is LIMS Important?
LIMS is important in 2023 and beyond because, throughout the years, labs have only been processing and analysing more and more data. As data becomes more extensive, it similarly becomes important to effectively process and analyse it, ensuring that all knowledge is gleaned and applied rather than wasted.
For those who are unaware, the cost of missed data in every industry is significant. Without LIMS, missed data can ultimately stall the speed and accuracy of an operation, lengthening the time frame and increasing the cost, which could lead to a delay or, even worse, starting back at square one.
But LIMS doesn’t only help in a data sense – it can also help to connect a lab group by automatically assigning tasks, sharing collaborative documents, and even capturing key pieces of communication that can be distributed to appropriate lab partners.
Labs To Pursue A More Efficient Future?
In 2023, the use of LIMS has never been more important, even if the many benefits of LIMS have not been widely felt yet. Over the next few years, there will be several instances where LIMS has been the difference between a successful experiment and an unsuccessful one. This could be especially important in drug creation – for instance, if a life-saving vaccine is suddenly needed – and it could entirely change the timeline and cost that we are used to in scientific research and discovery. As technology improves, the systems are only going to get better, to the point where every laboratory in the world is likely to have the system in place in the very near future.
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