Open Pharma Research, a platform for information exchange and networking in the life sciences, is announcing the launch of an international congress: the Lab of the Future Congress. This major gathering will take place on the 13-14th of November 2019 at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge, UK.
Bringing together a range of high-profile speakers, the Lab of the Future was set up to provide access to the people and resources for life science companies to continue thriving in a rapidly-evolving world. The event is supported by The Pistoia Alliance, the global, not-for-profit members’ life science organisation working to lower barriers to innovation in R&D through pre-competitive collaboration (
www.pistoiaalliance.org).
Key events will include a plenary session on the changing R&D landscape, and a panel on the role of technology as an enabler. Over 80 speakers have been selected to participate, including:
• Bryn Roberts, Global Head of Operations, Research & Early Development, Roche.
• Monika Lessl, VP Head of Corporate Innovation and R&D, Bayer.
• Veronique Birault, Head of Translational Medicine, Francis Crick Institute.
• Steve Martin, Head of Biopharm Discovery R&D, GlaxoSmithKline.
• Ian Churcher, Senior VP, Drug Discovery, BenevolentAI.
In addition to these talks, a major exhibition will showcase the work from the key service companies in this space. The conference centre boasts a unique open-plan design, which will encourage the anticipated 250-300 delegates to engage in open conversations.
Sponsors of the Congress to date include: Accenture, Thermo Fisher Scientific, CBRE, ZONTAL, Dassault Systèmes, Dotmatics, Avantor, Riffyn, SciBite, Synthace, ACD/Labs, Agilent, Digital Lab Consulting and L7 Informatics.
Zahid Tharia, Founding Director, Open Pharma Research, said: “The concept of the Lab of the Future is such an important one, and it encompasses so many fields—from drug discovery and development, to robotics, informatics, IoT and digitalisation. Technological change and greater access to information are encouraging a new R&D model, focussed on greater efficiency, transparency and cooperation. As a world-renowned hub for academic research, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Cambridge is the perfect location to discuss how science is changing. We are excited to bring so many scientists together in this innovative space, to discuss how to bring the Lab of the Future to life.”