POLL: What remains the biggest barrier to better productivity in your laboratory?

Take our one-minute poll to share your thoughts about the barriers in your laboratory to improving its productivity. Results will be published at the end of the month.

Laboratories are entering a phase of major operational adjustment, driven by workforce pressures, financial constraints, regulatory demands, sustainability targets, automation, artificial intelligence and the growing complexity of data management. By completing this poll, you will help create a live snapshot of the issues that laboratory professionals believe will have the greatest impact.

Your answer will support a more detailed view of how priorities across the sector are changing, and where investment, adaptation and strategic planning may be needed most urgently. For readers, the findings will provide a valuable benchmark: does your laboratory’s perspective match the wider industry view, or are the challenges you face more specific?

Taking part will also help show where expertise, uncertainty and concern sit within the Labmate-Online audience. The combined results can guide future editorial coverage, identify developing operational pressures and influence the case studies, application notes and technical content we choose to prioritise.

In essence, this poll is not only about prediction – it is also about contribution. Your response will help to define the challenges and opportunities likely to shape the laboratory sector in the years ahead.

Here are the results from the June poll which asked: "How confident are you that your laboratory is ready to use AI responsibly?"