---
title: How to set up a multi-lab account hierarchy
description: Set up a multi-lab account in Calira to manage equipment, users, and reporting across multiple sites or departments from a single organisation.
---
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# How to set up a multi-lab account hierarchy
Organisations with multiple labs, sites, or departments can structure their Calira account as a hierarchy: one organisation with multiple labs underneath. This gives you centralised oversight while keeping each lab's equipment, users, and booking rules independent.
Multi-lab hierarchies are common for pharmaceutical companies with multiple R&D sites, biotech organisations with separate discovery and development labs, and research institutes with shared facility cores alongside departmental labs.
### How the hierarchy works
Calira's account structure has three levels:
1. **Organisation**: the top level. Represents your company or institution. Controls billing, enterprise settings, and cross-lab reporting.
2. **Labs:** sit under the organisation. Each lab has its own equipment directory, booking calendars, access groups, and admin settings.
3. **Users**: belong to one or more labs. A user can have different roles in different labs (e.g. admin in Lab A, researcher in Lab B).
### Requirements
- Multi-lab accounts require an [Enterprise plan](https://calira.co/pricing)
- You need **Organisation Admin** permissions to create new labs or modify the hierarchy
- Each lab needs at least one Lab Admin assigned
### Creating a new lab in your organisation
- Go to **Organisation Settings** (available to Organisation Admins)
- Select **Labs** from the navigation
- Click **Add lab**
- Enter the lab details:
- Lab name (e.g. "Cambridge - Proteomics Core")
- Location or site reference
The new lab appears in the organisation hierarchy immediately. It starts empty; the Lab Admin can then add equipment, invite users, and configure booking rules.
### Adding users to multiple labs
Users can belong to more than one lab. This is useful for researchers who use equipment across sites, or admins who manage multiple facilities.
To add an existing user to another lab:
- Choose the invite type (by email or by web link)
1. Assign their role for this lab (Researcher, Lab Admin, etc.)
The user will see both labs in their Calira dashboard and can switch between them.
### Organisation Admin vs Lab Admin
| **Capability** | **Organisation Admin** | **Lab Admin** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Create labs | Yes | Yes |
| Delete labs | Yes (if subscription owner) | No |
| View cross-lab reports | Yes | No |
| Manage billing | Yes | Yes (their lab only) |
| Manage users in their lab | Yes | Yes |
| Configure booking rules | Yes (any lab) | Yes (their lab only) |
| Add/edit equipment | Yes (any lab) | Yes (their lab only) |
### Cross-lab visibility
Organisation Admins can see equipment, bookings, and utilisation data across all labs. This enables [multi-lab utilisation reports](https://help.calira.co/how-to-run-multi-lab-utilisation-reports?hsLang=en) and cross-site planning.
Lab Admins only see data for the labs they belong to, unless an Organisation Admin grants broader access.
### Best practices
- Name labs clearly: include site location and function (e.g. "Boston - Analytical Chemistry" rather than just "Lab 2")
- Assign at least two Lab Admins per lab to avoid single points of failure
- Use consistent equipment labels and types across labs so cross-site reports are meaningful
- Review the hierarchy quarterly as your organisation grows or restructures
For more on how Calira supports [enterprise operations](https://calira.co/solutions/enterprise), visit the solutions page.
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