I-STEM

Institution - FAQ

♦ What is the difference between an Institute and a Custodian Institute?

Any registered institute that has shared at least one piece of equipment on the I-STEM portal is considered a Custodian Institute. If an institute has not shared any equipment, it is simply referred to as an Institute.

♦ How many types of custodian accounts exist under an institute?

There are six custodian accounts under an institute:
1.Institute Head
2.Institute Representative
3.Department Representative
4.Faculty In-charge
5.Facility Coordinator
6.Equipment Operator

♦ What is the difference between the Institute Head and the Institute Representative accounts?

1.The Institute Head is assigned once an institute is registered on the I-STEM portal. After approval by the I-STEM Nodal Centre, login credentials are sent to the registered email ID.
2.The Institute Representative account can be created by the Institute Head.

♦ Who can be Institute Representatives, and what are their responsibilities?

The Institute Head may nominate any individual as an Institute Representative.
Responsibilities:
1.Create other custodian roles (Department Representative, Faculty In-charge, Facility Coordinator, and Equipment Operator).
2.List equipment from any department.
3.Update the Equipment Usage Rate and Equipment Profile.
4.Manage Equipment-Operator mapping.

♦ Who can be Department Representatives, and what are their responsibilities?

The Head of the Department may nominate any individual as a Department Representative.
Responsibilities:
1.List equipment from their department.
2.Update the Equipment Usage Rate and Equipment Profile.
3.Manage Equipment-Operator mapping.

♦ What is the importance of the Equipment Operator account?

The Equipment Operator is responsible for executing work on the assigned equipment.

♦ Can an Equipment Operator be mapped to multiple pieces of equipment?

Yes, an Equipment Operator can be mapped to multiple pieces of equipment if they are proficient in handling them.

♦ Can multiple Equipment Operators be assigned to a single piece of equipment?

Yes, a piece of equipment can be mapped to multiple Equipment Operators.

♦ Who can change the equipment status (i.e., Up/Down)?

All custodians including equipment operators associated with the equipment can update its status.

♦ Who can list equipment on the I-STEM portal?

All custodians, except Equipment Operators, can list equipment on the I-STEM portal.

♦ Who can update the Equipment Usage Rate?

All custodians, including the mapped Equipment Operator, can update the Equipment Usage Rate.

♦ What is a Customized Service Request Form, and who can upload it on the I-STEM portal?

The Customized Service Request Form (CSRF) collects detailed information about a user’s specimens and other relevant parameters prior to testing or measurement with specific equipment. This process ensures accuracy and efficiency in testing.
The Customized Service Request Form (CSRF) is required only when additional details are necessary for testing or measurement with specific equipment.

♦ Who can update the Equipment Profile?

All custodians, except Equipment Operators, can update the Equipment Profile.

♦ Can an Institute Custodian block the Equipment Calendar for a full day or a specific time period?

Yes, all custodians associated with the equipment can block the Equipment Calendar for a full day or a specific period by selecting the appropriate option.

♦ If a piece of equipment supports multiple analysis types but some become unavailable due to component failure, should the equipment status be marked as Down?

No, in such cases, there is no need to mark the equipment as Down. Instead, the responsible custodian should disable the affected analysis types.

♦ What happens if the Equipment Calendar is blocked for a full day or a partial period?

If the Equipment Calendar is blocked, users will not be able to reserve the equipment during the blocked period.

♦ Why are Location Latitude and Longitude mandatory when registering an institute on the I-STEM portal?

The I-STEM system displays the aerial distance between the user's device and the host institute (if location services are enabled). Therefore, providing Latitude and Longitude is mandatory during institute registration.

♦ When does I-STEM allow an Operator to provide feedback for an FBR?

The Operator can provide feedback once the FBR is marked as Executed by either user or operator.

♦ What happens when a FBR is marked as "Executed" ?

Once an FBR is marked as Executed, the Equipment Slot Booking process on the I-STEM portal is considered completed.

♦ When will the "Mark FBR as Executed" button be available for an Institute Custodian?

The Mark FBR as Executed button will appear from the "Allocated for" date onward until completion.

♦ How does an Operator share the experiment results with the user?

The Operator should coordinate with the user to share the experiment results directly.
The I-STEM portal's role is confined to booking and facilitating access; data analysis should remain the responsibility of researchers. Therefore, the institutes should be encouraged to provide output data in user-friendly formats to support easier data analysis for users.

♦ How are payment, invoice, and payment receipt handled for equipment slot booking?

The Custodian/Operator and User should coordinate with each other for Payment, Invoice and Payment Receipt.

♦ Why is marking a FBR as "Executed" important?

It will help Institute and I-STEM Team to track the booking process reaching a logical end, so that if for some reason some bookings are not handled properly, corrective action can be taken so that researchers get benefitted by the FBR process.

The Indian Science, Technology, and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) is an interactive web portal designed to accelerate scientific progress in India. This initiative, conceived and supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, creates a centralized platform for sharing publicly funded R&D equipment and facilities across various institutions throughout the country.

Resources

18004253281 (customer care)
support@istem.co.in

Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map