Hannover, Germany. More than 180 exhibitors presented their solutions for smart and sustainable laboratories, welcoming round about 3,000 interested trade visitors. The core topics at this year's edition included digitization, AI and automation and connectivity of laboratory workflows, as reflected by a proliferation of robots and monitors at exhibitors' booths.

“A spirit of optimism permeated the hall 19/20”, said Carola Triebsch, Project Director of the LABVOLUTION. "Exhibitors and visitors alike were equally pleased to return to LABVOLUTION after a four-year enforced hiatus due to the pandemic, and to finally engage face-to-face again.”

Taking part in LABVOLUTION was a matter of course for Marion Kunze, Biological Technical Assistant at the Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation: “I work in a lab, so I naturally visit the fair! This is where I discover innovations, keep spotting new solutions and connect with manufacturers.”

Lothar Finster, Vice President Growth and Digital Marketing EMEA at LabVantage and his team engaged in numerous technical discussions too: “This was our first time at LABVOLUTION – the topics match nicely with our company. We made the right decision to attend this show.”

The heart of LABVOLUTION beats green

Sustainability was among the hot topics covered at the show and ranged from sustainable solutions made from biopolymers to the reduction of toxic substances in chemical labs up to the development of a sustainability strategy – the first LAB Sustainability Summit provided practical approaches for a more environmentally friendly laboratory world.

Around one third of the trade visitors attended presentations on sustainability in the life sciences and the lab. "I am delighted that the Summit was so popular. We had many interesting discussions during the three days and received numerous questions on the topic," revealed Dr. Kerstin Hermuth-Kleinschmidt from NIUB's sustainability consultancy.

Connectivity takes center stage at smartLAB 2023

Attracting the audience, the smartLAB proved once again to be the highlight of the show. From the very beginning, the area of the joint project of 15 partners from industry and science was well attended. More than every second participant visited the innovative future lab. In addition to presentations and live demonstrations of the use cases, trade visitors were also able to try out the individual elements of the smartLAB for themselves.

"Currently, laboratory infrastructures consist of numerous highly specialized devices from various manufacturers," explained Dr. Felix Lenk, Managing Director of SmartLab Solutions. Different interfaces and data formats make it difficult to connect these devices with each other or to integrate them into existing IT infrastructures. "At our smartLAB, we demonstrate in five unique applications how devices and software from different companies can work together as a connected unit," stated Dr. Lenk. The featured solutions were very well received by the visitors. Dr. Jan-Gerd Frerichs, Head of Future Farming at Körber Technologies GmbH, visits the smartLAB since its premiere in 2015. "At that time, it was just a dazzling idea to connect lab parts with a system built on hexagons," Dr. Frerichs recalled. "Today, the iHex system is actually available on the market, proving that solutions displayed in the smartLAB eventually become reality."

Groundbreaking technologies celebrate their premieres

This year, various exhibitors used the LABVOLUTION to introduce cutting-edge technologies and services. Among others, GeneDireX celebrated the premiere of their μBLooK-LED transilluminator and Curiosis Inc. presented the new live cell imaging system Celloger Mini Plus for the first time. The German industry association for optics, photonics, analytics and medical technology, SPECTARIS, introduces the new communication standard LADS (Laboratory & Analytical Device Standard) on the second day of the trade show. The new communication standard is based on the OPC UA open communication platform.

"The goal of LADS is to create a manufacturer-independent, open standard for analytical and laboratory devices that comprehensively covers the different segments of the laboratory technology industry and their individual workflows," explained Dr. Janina Bolling, head of the Analytics, Biotechnology and Laboratory Technology department at SPECTARIS.

The entire spectrum of lab technology and topics

With more than 100 presentations, workshops and panel discussions covering the latest developments in science and industry, visitors had a wide range of topics to explore. The new INDUSTRY Forum was devoted to the field of life sciences. Of particular demand were lectures on genome editing. Established formats like the LIMS & Software Area and the LabUSER Dialogue were also popular hubs for knowledge transfer and networking. The latter was given special importance this year with new events. Whether LAB Happy Hour or After Work Party – the lab community made good use of these occasions.

LABVOLUTION AWARD

Finally, LABVOLUTION had two winners to announce: The Institut für Umwelt & Energie, Technik & Analytik e. V. (IUTA) and the start-up Green Elephant won the second LABVOLUTION AWARD. more

The next LABVOLUTION will take place from 20 – 22 May 2025 at the Hannover exhibition grounds.