Travel Laptops for Researchers

What Is It?

To accommodate researchers' computer needs while traveling internationally to conduct university business (e.g. attending conferences, conducting short-term research), UIC has made Windows or Mac laptops available for loan.

Features

Clients may request either a Windows or Mac laptop. Both types of laptops include:

  • UIC standard encryption
  • UIC AnyConnect VPN client
  • Microsoft 365 applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and Publisher) Excluding Outlook
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Administrator access for the borrower to install additional needed software

All laptops have the following restrictions:

Requirements

Prior to submitting a request for a university-provided laptop, please review the Travel Guidance provided by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

  • Maximum duration of checkout is one month.
  • Borrower must be physically present and provide their valid UIC i-card to check out equipment
  • The borrower will receive an email confirmation of the equipment checkout, detailing a checkout reference number, the equipment checked out, and return deadlines
  • Borrower shall not leave equipment unattended while checked out
  • Borrower may not redistribute equipment to any other person(s)
  • Borrower is solely responsible for the equipment checked out to them until the equipment has been returned and checked back in. This includes but is not limited to:
    • damage/destruction
    • loss
    • theft due to negligence
    • late return
    • misuse of any kind
  • Borrower's department is solely responsible for any fines resulting from above-mentioned occurrences.
  • Borrower is required to submit a police report to the UIC Police immediately upon loss/theft of equipment and to provide the police report number to Technology Solutions within 24 hours.
  • Borrower must abide by all university, state, and federal policies and laws regarding the appropriate use of university computing resources.

Who Is Eligible To Use It?

  • UIC Researchers

Where Can I Get It?

Select the Request Laptop button on this page to submit a request. Once you have received confirmation a laptop is available for pickup, visit this on-campus location:

IDEA Commons
Richard J. Daley Library, First Floor 1-030
801 South Morgan Street

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm

How Do I Use It?

You will log in to the laptop using your UIC NetID and Password. The laptop will complete some final configuration steps. Once these are complete, you will be able to use the laptop normally, including installing any additional necessary software.

Note: Prior to leaving campus, you should connect to the eduroam wireless network available on campus. Log in with your full UIC email address and your UIC password. This does not need to be done from the travel laptop - you can do so from any device you have access to (e.g. your mobile phone). Doing this will allow you to connect to the eduroam wireless network at other institutions. For more information, visit How do I use eduroam?

Note: Prior to traveling, ensure you are enrolled and can successfully use the Duo 2FA service, which is required to connect to the UIC VPN and to your UIC email. For more information, visit How can I learn more about 2FA?

How Much Does It Cost?

This service is funded by the University; there are no direct costs to clients. Fees may apply in the event of loss/theft/damage.

How Can I Get Support?

If you are experiencing a problem with this service, please report it. If you just have a question, feel free to ask us.

Service Levels

Service Request Fulfillment Time 1 week for laptop request
Incident Resolution Time Technology Solutions will provide best-effort support while the borrower is traveling. Due to several factors, including inaccessibility of the laptop and time zone differences, we cannot guarantee support levels.
Service Availability Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Maintenance Window(s) University Holidays
Service Notification Channel(s) IT Service Notices