General concept

To order a plasmid, the recipient scientist, not an administrator from the institution, should register on our website and place the order. During the registration process, the scientist needs to indicate the name and email address of the head of the lab ordering the plasmid (i.e. the "Recipient PI"). This is because the Recipient PI needs to acknowledge (not sign) the terms of the MTA. In addition, this will enable the recipient scientist to track the current status of the order on their dashboard.

The following workflow will ensure the smoothest execution:

1. The scientist who wants to order plasmids registers on our website, and places the plasmids in the shopping cart.
2. If required by the institution, the scientist can download a quote from the shopping cart in order to obtain a purchase order from their institution prior to placing the order.
3. The order is placed by pressing the "Submit Order" button on the shopping cart page.
4. Our system will send out two emails for the MTA. One email will go to the head of Technology Transfer (or legal representative) of the recipient institution to sign the MTA. The other goes to the Recipient PI to “read and acknowledge” the MTA.
5. Once that is done, the scientist will receive an email with various payment options. The fastest way to get your plasmid is to pay by credit card. Typically, we will ship the next day. Alternatively, you can pay by uploading a Purchase order, or by forwarding the payment link to your finance department for payment.
6. We usually ship plasmids within 1-2 working days.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Enter a search term in the search field. This can be a variety of different things: a feature of the plasmid, the name of the depositing lab, the PubMed ID of the publication describing the plasmid, etc.
   
   Then click on the "Search" button.
   
   For a more detailed search, click instead on "Advanced Search" in the menu bar.
   
   
2. Plasmids fitting the search will be displayed below. Click on them to view plasmid details.
   
   
3. Click on the "Order" button to order the plasmid. The plasmid will be added to your shopping cart.
   
   
4. If you are not yet logged in, you will be asked to do so.
   
   If you do not yet have an account with the European Plasmid Repository, click on "Register" in the upper right corner.
   
   
5. You will automatically be re-routed to view your shopping cart.
   
   If you wish, you can now enter a Purchase Order number from your institution in the available field. This can also be done later at the time of payment.
   
   To order the plasmid, click on the "Submit Order" button.
   
   You can always check the status of your order by clicking on "My Orders" in the menu bar.
   
   
6. The next step is for the MTAs to be signed. Either you or your group leader will receive an email with a link for signing the MTA. (This depends on whether the institution depositing the plasmid wants the group leader or the recipient scientist to sign the MTA.) In addition, your Technology Transfer office will also receive an email with a link to sign the MTA.
   
   All parties will receive by email a copy of the fully executed MTA as a PDF once everyone has signed.
   
   Only after the MTA is signed can the plasmid be paid and shipped.
   
   
7. Once the MTA is signed, you will receive an email with a link to pay for the order. You can either pay for it yourself, or you can forward the email to anyone else in your institution (e.g. department secretary, finance office) to pay the order.
   
   
8. Clicking on the "Pay" link in the email will bring you to the payment overview. Once again you have the option to enter a Purchase Order number from your institution (1). Furthermore, if someone else is paying for the order, they can enter their name and address by clicking on the button in the "Person Paying the Order" field (2). This information will then appear on the payment receipt.
   
   There are two ways to pay - either by credit card, or by Purchase Order with invoice. Paying by credit card is usually much faster, and will save you 1-2 weeks, depending on the speed of your Finance department. To pay by credit card, click "Pay Now" (3). If instead you wish us to invoice your institution, you need to upload a Purchase Order. To do this, click on "Pay by Purchase Order" (4).
   
9. If you wish to pay by Purchase Order, you will need to provide us with a Purchase Order from your institution. To do so, click on "Download invoice" (1) to obtain an invoice that you can provide to your finance department. They often require this to provide you with a Purchase Order. Then enter your Purchase Order number (2). Select the PDF file containing the purchase order (3) and click on "Upload" (4). Once we have verified your Purchase Order, we will ship your plasmids and then invoice your institution.
   
   
10. If instead you wish to pay by credit card, clicking on the "Pay Now" button (step 8 above) will bring you to the payment platform. Payments run via the Stripe website. Enter here your credit card information and click "pay". The European Plasmid Repository website does not receive nor store your credit card information.
    
    
11. Done ! You will be re-routed to a confirmation page where you can download the payment receipt. A copy of the receipt will also be sent automatically by email to the person who placed the order.
    
    Your plasmid will then be shipped within a few days.