After the success at LABVOLUTION: New SmartLAB Innovation Network promotes development in the laboratory

The success story of smartLAB continues. At the premiere of the laboratory technology trade fair LABVOLUTION last year in Hanover, the special exhibition "smartLAB – the intelligent laboratory of the future" delighted visitors. Now, the innovation network "SmartLAB" has been founded. It is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) as part of the Central Innovation Program for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ZIM) and is dedicated to the development and standardization of innovative laboratory technologies. A large number of partners from science and industry, who enabled the smartLAB at LABVOLUTION, are founding members of the SmartLAB innovation network. The special exhibition smartLAB will again be an integral part of LABVOLUTION/BIOTECHNICA from May 16 to 18, 2017.

The goal of the special exhibition smartLAB is to demonstrate, with a visionary model laboratory, how laboratory life will change in times of digitalization and Industry 4.0. "Thanks to the positive results, we were able to attract almost all previous partners and some new ones to jointly initiate the innovation network for the laboratory of the future," says Dr. Sascha Beutel, researcher at the Institute of Technical Chemistry at Leibniz University Hannover and spokesperson for the smartLAB initiative. "We can now quickly and easily apply for defined individual projects, so a variety of innovations will already be developed by the next LABVOLUTION 2017."

The objectives of the newly founded network are the development and standardization of innovative laboratory technologies and related applications and solutions, which lead to simplified processes, improved quality while increasing efficiency, and enhanced process safety. The focus is on modularization and integration of functionalities and components for a flexible and individually adaptable laboratory environment tailored to specific requirements. Additionally, digitalization and networking of all entities involved in the laboratory's value chain are important, enabling real-time provision of all relevant information as well as control and monitoring of processes. Not least, the integration of robotic systems for direct and optimized interaction between humans and machines, as well as automation of processes, also play a significant role.

The "SmartLAB Innovation Network," founded on the initiative of Ellwanger EurA Consult AG, currently consists of ten small and medium-sized enterprises, three large companies, and three research institutions, including sectors such as laboratory instruments and equipment, measurement and testing technology, laboratory setup and lighting, consumables, software/IT, and not least, user laboratories. Through networking and the integration of additional actors, the network will continue to expand and is open to new partners.