Electronic Lab Notebooks Are Failing Scientists and Inflating R&D Costs

New survey finds outdated lab software is driving experiment duplication, workflow bottlenecks, and risky shadow AI use

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Many scientists view electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) as obstacles, with only 62% reporting they enhance work efficiency.
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65% of scientists have repeated experiments due to difficulty in finding or reusing prior results, leading to increased R&D costs.
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Over half of respondents find ELNs overly complex, and 71% struggle with configuration for new workflows, especially in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
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51% of scientists spend excessive time on manual data handling, with many resorting to public AI tools for analysis despite security risks.
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96% of scientists demand next-generation ELNs to aid in data interpretation, with a strong interest in conversational and voice interfaces.

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