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A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is computer software that is used in the laboratory for the management of samples, laboratory users, instruments, standards and other laboratory functions such as invoicing, plate management, and work flow automation. A LIMS and a Laboratory Information System (LIS) perform similar functions. The primary difference is that LIMS are generally targeted toward environmental, research or commercial analysis, such as pharmaceutical or petrochemical, and LIS are targeted toward the clinical market (hospitals and other clinical labs).

Today's trend is to move the whole process of information gathering, decision making, calculation, review and release out into the workplace and away from the office. The goal is to create a seamless organization where:

• Instruments used are integrated in the lab network; receive instructions and worklists from the LIMS and return finished results including raw data back to a central repository where the LIMS can update relevant information to external systems such as a Manufacturing Execution System or Enterprise Resource Planning application.
• Lab personnel will perform calculations, documentation and review results using online information from connected instruments, reference databases and other resources using electronic lab notebooks (ELN's) connected to the LIMS.
• Management can supervise the lab process, react to bottlenecks in workflow and ensure regulatory demands.
• External participants (department, company) can place work requests and follow up on progress, review results and print out analysis certificates and other documentation (perhaps even historically).

Biotechnologies have introduced a number of changes in the Life Science field. High Throughput spread from the limited field of drug candidate screening to gene screening, protein screening, etc. This make LIMS a new necessity, even in fundamental laboratories.

In the case of a lab that carries out many different tests for multiple customers - a sample-centric approach is preferable because the sample type can drive the process configuration. If a lab carries out a single test at high throughput testing - a process-centric approach should be used in order to optimize the workflow.

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