AUTOMA+ 2025 brought together pharma and tech leaders in Vösendorf, Austria on November 24–25 to explore the latest developments in digital R&D, lab automation and manufacturing. The Pharmaceutical Automation and Digitalisation Congress highlighted how AI, digital twins, robotics and IoT are moving from pilots toward production use in smart pharma environments.

Supported by Merck, ESTEVE, Octapharma, GSK, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma as Technology Partner and EUSPA as Innovation Partner, the meeting served as a forum for comparing digital strategies across R&D and manufacturing.

Day one opened with a focus on connecting machines, processes and people, with speakers emphasizing the need to build digital skills inside pharma organizations. Harald Schnidar and Avani Gupta of SCARLETRED Holding GmbH outlined how combining human expertise with AI is reshaping dermatological drug development workflows. Zisis Kozlakidis of IARC/WHO examined patient centric digital interaction and the role of AI in improving public health outcomes through better data integration.

As Technology Partner, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma led a workshop on digital plant modeling. Joachim Bär, Director DevOps CellCulture, discussed how virtual models of production assets can support process optimization and sustainability targets. Other contributors included representatives from Pfizer, Bayer AG, Astellas and Grünenthal Group.

In the exhibition zone, attendees evaluated technical offerings spanning the R&D to manufacturing continuum. Sapio Sciences demonstrated LIMS platforms aimed at unifying lab data, Innowise highlighted AI and machine learning services, and I-care showed asset performance and predictive maintenance software for production environments.

The second day turned to AI powered pharmaceuticals, smart supply chains and regulatory compliance. Cédric Colon of GSK detailed how digitalization and AI are being applied to unlock new value in supply chain operations and logistics.

AUTOMA+ 2026 is slated for Zurich on November 16–17, continuing the series’ focus on digitalized R&D, manufacturing and supply chains in pharma.

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