Lab of the Future Europe 2025: Transforming Life Science Research

Major scientific breakthroughs – no matter how groundbreaking or transformative – are the result of the hard work poured in by dozens, hundreds and in some cases, thousands of individual skilled researchers operating in academic and professional R&D laboratories all over the world.

The question for the future of scientific advancement is not how to work harder – but how to work smarter.

From September 30–October 1, more than 500 life science leaders will be gathering in Amsterdam to discuss how to do just that at the Lab of the Future Congress Europe.

The Congress will cover eight connected conference themes, all focused on exploring the cutting-edge innovations that are advancing “lab of the future” technologies for the modern research lab. Attendees will hear case studies from biopharma experts, learn how to address the challenges of adopting emerging technologies and have the opportunity to network with other leaders, experts and stakeholders from the wider Lab of the Future community.

What is the lab of the future?

The third industrial revolution brought the world transformative technologies such as electronics, telecommunications and the modern computer. Now, with technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and cloud computing, science arguably stands on the precipice of a fourth industrial revolution. 

As a collective term, “lab of the future” technologies refer to these technological advancements that can be incorporated into the laboratory environment to make a smarter, more efficient operation.

For example, with the Internet of Things , it is possible to semi-automate lab processes using connected plug-and-play smart devices for easier data collection. Cloud-based laboratory information management systems and electronic laboratory notebooks can support these data collection and data management efforts, helping to streamline the administrative work required of lab technicians while also reducing sources of human error.

AI tools and large language models (LLMs) can be used to optimize laboratory operations – predicting where issues may arise in supply chain management, for example – but they are also being increasingly used to inform new approaches for drug and materials discovery. Robotics is also being deployed in some labs to reduce the volume of repetitive tasks needing to be completed by scientists, freeing up more of their time to be spent on highly skilled scientific work.

These technologies, and many others like them, are leading growing numbers of laboratories to embrace this digital transformation and align their operations with lab of the future ideas.

What to expect from the Lab of the Future Europe 2025

The lab of the future is a lab fully optimized to reach its potential in terms of processes and throughput, with improved quality control and compliance.

How today’s labs pursue this goal will be difficult to predict – a decade ago, few people could have predicted how AI technologies would impact science to this degree. At Lab of the Future Europe 2025, thought leaders from leading companies across the life sciences will come together to share their vision of the lab of the future, discussing how company-wide transformations can be achieved and how emerging technologies can be best adopted and applied to laboratory processes.

To give full attention to the multitude of areas producing exciting innovations, Lab of the Future Europe 2025 will feature eight connected themes across its multi-track congress platform, highlighting advancements in the world of AI, data handling, laboratory operations and more.

Building Scalable, Connected Capillary Electrophoresis Workflows

This webinar examines how laboratories can prepare capillary electrophoresis operations for changing workflow expectations.
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The keynote sessions track will feature high-level talks from experts representing the likes of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Accenture, GSK and the Pistoia Alliance, discussing the key ingredients for building the automated digital labs of the future, and how such labs can accelerate pharma R&D and drug discovery timelines.

To explore the innovations being driven by AI and LLMs, two conference tracks – AI to Innovate and AI to Optimize – will look at how these digital tools are being applied to the lab. On day one, the AI to Innovate track will tackle how AI can be used to drive the discovery of novel drug targets, inform hypothesis creation and accelerate research through advanced modelling and adaptive experimentation. On day two, AI to Optimize will look at how AI can tackle operational workflows, for example, through the use of AI agents and intelligent experiment design. 

Laboratory processes will also be highlighted under the conference tracks Automated Lab, Connected Lab and Lab Operations. Together, these tracks will cover topics such as: digital twins, self-driving labs, workflow automation, systems integration, vendor and budget management and sustainability.

Finally, the Data Strategy and Digital Transformation tracks will look at the digital-first future of the modern lab. On the Data Strategy track, attendees will hear how R&D organizations can build strong data foundations that will allow researchers to extract results from growing volumes of data, while also ensuring that their data architecture has the scalability to keep pace with new technologies. Meanwhile, on the Digital Transformation track, real-world case studies will help to showcase how today’s leaders are structuring their teams, designing workflows and creating a culture that is ready to embrace the future of scientific innovation.

Hosted at the Amsterdam Conference Centre, Beurs van Berlage, Lab of the Future Europe 2025 will bring together hundreds of experts and leaders from across the scientific community, providing an opportunity for learning, networking and discussion.