Hannover, Germany. As the leading trade fair for digitalisation in the laboratory, LABVOLUTION 2023 not only showcases innovative lab technology, infrastructure and automation, as well as solutions for optimised laboratory workflows, but also offers a wide range of opportunities to expand knowledge with various formats in the supporting program . "Our visitors want to find out about trends and innovations here at the fair but also expand their know-how, exchange experiences, make new contacts and educate themselves," explains Carola Triebsch, LABVOLUTION Project Director at Deutsche Messe. "Our ambition is therefore to create formats that promote exchange and knowledge transfer and provide new impulses to the laboratory sector."

Behind the scenes, preparations for the conference and workshop program are in full swing. This includes formats around knowledge transfer, experience exchange, further education and networking, but also panel discussions on current topics such as sustainability in the laboratory and the life sciences.

Sustainability at the LABVOLUTION

The topic of sustainability is in everyone's mind – even in research and laboratories, questions about green topics are increasingly gaining significance. Considering the large quantities of single-use plastic articles, how can research be conducted in a sustainable manner? How can the high water and energy consumption or the use of hazardous substances be reduced? At the LAB Sustainability Summit , exhibitors and experts will provide inspiration and solutions for a more sustainable laboratory world. However, sustainability also plays a crucial role in the other conference sessions – speakers from the fields of molecular cell biology and genome editing will bring the latest facts and potentials for shaping a more sustainable agriculture to the LABVOLUTION Science Symposium .

Smart, smarter, smartLAB 2023

The highlight and visitor magnet of LABVOLUTION is undoubtedly the smartLAB . For the fourth time, renowned companies and institutions from science and industry are working together in smartLAB 2023 to present a promising vision for the laboratory of tomorrow. With 13 exhibiting companies, the unique future lab will display four use cases and a VR area at the upcoming trade fair addressing the topics of automation, the optimisation of workflows, robotics and artificial intelligence.

These are the partners of this year's smartLAB: Smartlab Solutions, Eppendorf AG, 2mag AG, Better Basics Laborbedarf GmbH, Düperthal Sicherheitstechnik, Essentim GmbH, Kreativraum GmbH, INTEGRIS LIMS GmbH, Labforward GmbH, Berner International GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V (IUTA), Fraunhofer IPA, Amensio GmbH und smartAct GmbH.

Forums and workshops in the exhibition hall add value

LABVOLUTION addresses the entire world of the laboratory. This includes laboratory technology, laboratory infrastructure and analytics for users from the chemical, pharmaceutical, life sciences, biotechnology, environmental, food and medical industries, as well as from the research and development sectors. The supporting program is as diverse as the different industries.

Suppliers and users meet at the Lab USER Dialogue . Here, exhibiting companies will present their products and solutions. The Laboratory 4.0 workshop of the Gläsernes Labor Akademie (GLA) from Berlin, which is aimed primarily at technical employees and laboratory technicians in the life sciences, is practical and focuses on the topics of digitalisation, miniaturisation and sustainability.

The well-established LIMS & Software Area organised by LABORPRAXIS will also be part of the fair again. It is an exciting exhibition area with expert and manufacturer presentations on all three days of the fair. Well-known companies such as the Bassetti Group, INTEGRIS LIMS, Labvantage, LDB Labordatenbank and MAQSIMA have already confirmed their participation in the LIMS & Software Area. Finally, LABVOLUTION will present an award in 2023: The LABVOLUTION AWARD honours optimisation projects from everyday laboratory life.

First steps to success: Young innovative companies and start-ups from the laboratory world will also present themselves at this year's LABVOLUTION. Among them are ARXUM, which is redefining end-to-end digitisation based on blockchain technology, and Green Elephant, which has set itself the task of replacing disposable plastic waste in the laboratory with a sustainable cell culture system made from plant-based PLA, as well as many others.