nICLAS Forum 2026

On 20 October, the Cyber Valley campus in Tübingen will host inspiring keynotes, real-world case studies, and open discussions on the lab of the future, right in the heart of one of Europe’s leading AI ecosystems.

In the first half of the day, we will spotlight the latest advances in robotics combined with AI for life science applications. Participants will gain a clear picture of where research and development stand today, how mature the technologies already are, and which concrete use cases are emerging across pharma, biotech, and diagnostics – from automated sample handling to multi-purpose robotic systems to humanoid robots.

In the second half of the day, the focus will shift to cutting-edge AI for life sciences. Leading researchers and industry experts will present the newest findings in areas such as AI-driven drug discovery, predictive toxicology, image-based cell analysis, and decision support. Real-world use cases will demonstrate how AI is being deployed today in Life Science environments, what value it delivers, and how organizations are overcoming regulatory, data, and implementation challenges.

On 21 October, hands-on workshops and deep dives at the nICLAS innovation center in Stuttgart will let participants work closely with experts on lab automation, robotics, and AI.

Day two is about concrete methods, tools, and best practices that can be transferred into your own organization. Live demos, interactive sessions, and co-creation formats offer the chance to test technologies, learn from real implementations, and benchmark your own roadmap.

We invite top-tier speakers and participants from universities, research institutes, pharma and diagnostics companies, robotics and high-tech – with plenty of time for meaningful networking and the start of new, high-level collaborations.

The event is jointly organised by Cyber Valley, Lab Automation Network, and Fraunhofer IPA, bringing together their communities of users, technology providers, and researchers in one place.

Target group

Users, Vendors, scientists, decision makers, lab automation enthusiasts, AI, and data scientists

Benefit for the customer

High-quality talks with real-world applications, Time for networking and starting collaborations, overview of current trends, challenges, and available solutions

Cost 

60€ per day

Where?

Day 1:

Max-Planck-Haus
Max-Planck-Ring 6
72076 Tübingen

Day 2:

Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung IPA
Nobelstr. 12
70569 Stuttgart

When?

20–21 October
9:00–17:00

Program

Day 1

08:45 Registration 

09:00 Martin Winter and Richard Rösch; LAN and Fraunhofer IPA
Welcome @nICLAS

09:10 Kevin-Maximilian Kron Boston Dynamics
Cutting Through the Hype: A Reality Check for Humanoid Robots in Industry 
"How Robotics Is Redefining Work, Processes, and Value Creation"

10:00 Werner Kraus and Florian Jordan Fraunhofer
EmbodiedAI in Lab Automation

10:20 Charly Coulon invite / ISPE
TBD

10:40
Coffee break

11:10 Arun Damodaran Aatek
Influence of Physical AI in Life Sciences & Pharma integrations

11:30 Dennis Knobbe TUM
Robotic Lab Assistance as a Service: Augmenting Scientists Toward Autonomous Knowledge Discovery.

12:00
Lunch break

13:30 Loic Roche Atinary
TBD

14:10 Jonas Binder Abbvie
From Simulation to Prediction: Modeling Risk in Biopharmaceuticals

14:30 CeGat
TBD

14:50 Coffee break

15:30 Talk 7

15:50 Talk 8

16:10 Talk 9

16:50 Wrap Up

Day 2—Workshops

• Getting ready for AI
  AI starts with data. How do you access, connect, and prepare your lab data – and what does it take to go from raw data to real AI use cases in your LifeScience company?
• When Robots take over
  What does it really take to bring a robot into your lab? This workshop walks you through the full journey – from choosing the right system to programming your first protocol and running automated workflows.
• Lab automation in action: make it a success and avoid pitfalls
  Discover how to turn lab automation from a risky investment into a practical improvement journey: learn how to start small and identify quick wins, de-risk early and create real value in the lab that runs and is used.