Introduction

Benchling Bioprocess supports process design, experiment planning, batch execution, and data visualization in a unified environment. This guide is designed for process development scientists and platform administrators who are responsible for configuring Benchling to support end-to-end bioprocess development.

The article provides a practical, step-by-step overview of how to configure the core components of Benchling Bioprocess—Recipes, Unit Operations, Steps, Study Schemas, and Equipment Schemas. It also outlines the key permissions and access requirements necessary to effectively manage Bioprocess configurations in your tenant.

Understanding and implementing these configurations correctly is critical to ensuring structured data capture, operational efficiency, and traceability across experiments and teams. This guide will help you set up your system to fully realize the value of the Bioprocess product.

Bioprocess terminology and structure

Benchling Bioprocess is designed to support modular, configurable process development workflows. At its core, the system is structured around three primary components: Unit Operations, Recipes, and Studies—each serving a specific role in modeling, designing, and executing bioprocesses.

Unit Operation (UO):
A Unit Operation is the foundational building block of a bioprocess. It represents a discrete step in the process (e.g., thawing, bioreactor culture, centrifugation), and includes all relevant definitions such as parameters, material inputs/outputs, and equipment. Each Unit Operation can also include Steps, which are templatized instructions that guide operators through pre-run, run, and post-run activities. These steps ensure consistent execution and data capture.

Recipe:
A Recipe is a linear sequence of one or more Unit Operations. It defines the standardized process flow used during experimental execution and serves as a reusable template for experimentation. Recipes are created and stored within Template Collections and can include configuration for structured data capture, branching material flow, and parallel execution. Recipes allow teams to model their real-world bioprocesses in a way that is scalable and adaptable to evolving development needs.

Study:
A Study represents the executable instance of a process. It connects one or more Recipes to define how a specific experiment is run. In a Study, users configure experimental design parameters—such as conditions, replicates, and setpoint deviations—to test variations of the process. Studies also manage the execution of associated tasks, operator instructions, and resulting data capture. They serve as the central unit for experiment execution, coordination, and analysis.

This modular structure supports flexibility and scalability, enabling organizations to iteratively design, test, and optimize complex bioprocesses in a digitally connected, data-driven environment.

In this article, you will find the step-by-step configuration guide to set up all these elements.

How to configure a Recipe

Benchling Bioprocess configuration begins with creating a Recipe—the core structure used to define and standardize process flows.

Steps to configure a Recipe

To configure a Recipe, complete the following steps: 

• Click your avatar > Feature Settings > Template Collections
• In your chosen Template Collection, click Create and select Recipe from the dropdown

• Name your Recipe and click Create

  Note: You can duplicate an existing Recipe to reuse common process frameworks and accelerate configuration.

How to configure Unit Operations, Definitions, and Steps

1. Create and Manage Unit Operations

• Every Recipe must include at least one Unit Operation.
• When a new Recipe is created, a default Unit Operation is added automatically.
• To rename the Unit Operation double click to edit. Use the    icon to save your changes.
• To add more Unit Operations, click the + icon on either side of an existing one.
• Drag and drop Unit Operations to reorder the process flow within a Recipe.
• Select the icon to ‘Edit Details’ and configure Unit Operation steps. 

2. Configure Definitions in a Unit Operation 

When a Unit Operation is opened the Definitions tab is shown by default. Definitions include Parameters, Material Inputs, Material Outputs, and Equipment. They can be set-up as follows;

• From the Recipe level, click the gear icon on a Unit Operation and select the Edit details option.
• From the Unit Operation Modal, click Edit (top right)

• Fill in the name, data type and unit type (if applicable) for each item in the relevant Definition tables.

  Note: Each item must have a unique name.

• Click Save when done. Use the Flowchart > Edit dropdown to move to the next Unit Operation or return to the Recipe overview.

3. Configure Steps in a Unit Operation

Steps serve as operator-facing instructions for executing the Unit Operation and recording data. They are grouped into:

• Pre-run – Preparation steps
• Run – Core execution steps

• Post-run – Cleanup or data review step

  

To configure Steps:

• In the Unit Operation’s Edit modal, go to the Step Configuration tab.
• Click + Add step under the desired group.
  Enter a title for the step and optionally add:
  • Structured tables
  • Checklists
  • Instructional text
• Add additional steps as needed.

Note: If Parameters, Materials, or Equipment are defined in the Unit Operation, Benchling will automatically generate steps to capture this information during experiment execution.

Recipe Access Requirements/Recipe permissions

Recipe permissions are governed by Template Collection where the Recipe is created. 

Each Access Policy on the collection defines what actions you can take—such as viewing, editing, executing, or archiving Recipes. 

To create or edit a Recipe (and thereby Unit Operation), you must have Write access to that Template Collection.

How to Configure a Process Development Study

A Study represents the executable version of a process and serves as the core object for running experiments in Benchling Bioprocess. Studies link one or more Recipes, define conditions and replicates, and allow users to apply parameter deviations across experimental runs.

Configuration of a PD Study schema is required before teams can create Studies in the system.

Steps to Configure a PD Study Schema

A PD Study schema defines the structure and behavior of the Study object. 

1. Go to Feature Settings
2. Click on Study Schemas
3. Select Create Schema
4. Define schema attributes:
   • Prefix and name
   • Owner
   • Study type → select Process Development
     1. Optional: Add metadata fields and templates
5. Set Schema Access Policies to control who can view, create, and edit the Study
6. Click Create to finalize

Naming Templates for Study Schemas

After a Study Schema is created, you can define a naming template to automatically generate names for new Studies based on consistent logic.

Naming templates can include:

• Custom text (e.g., project codes or study type)
• Dynamic fields like study start date
• Structured metadata fields defined in the schema

This helps standardize naming conventions across teams and improves traceability.

Note: Updating the naming template does not retroactively change the names of existing Studies.

Recipe run name template

You can automatically name recipe runs based on a naming template. If the name template is changed, it will not affect the names of existing recipe runs.

Study Schema Permissions

Permissions for Study Schemas determine who can view and edit the schema, and who can create study objects with it. These permissions are configured in Feature Settings under the Access Policies for each Study schema.

Important Notes:

• All users can view and use schema objects by default if the schema is visible in the product.
• Schema visibility (e.g., whether it appears in dropdowns or filters) is controlled through the "List Schema Definition" setting.
• Admins are the only ones who can change schema configurations and access settings.