The Lab of the Future project roundtable session brought together 68 participants, including laboratory experts, private IT solutions providers, academia, research centres to learn more about the project, to acquire knowledge and discuss the challenges that laboratories and vocational education and training (VET) centres are currently facing, while navigating the complex digitalization advancements, ensuring trust and sustainability, adaptability and cyber resilience.  

The session was organised alongside the Labsummit 2026, in Coimbra, on 7 May, by the Ambidata and EUROLAB, and it is an integral part of the European Focus Group, targeting the raise of awareness, visibility and collection of input from a wider community of experts. The roundtable session featured as speakers, Paulo Rego, Ambidata Group CEO and Laura Martin, EUROLAB Secretary General. The event started with an introduction on the Lab of the Future project by Laura Martin, highlighting its key aims, outcomes, partners and target audience. 

The presentation was followed by a roundtable discussion, covering important topics, including: 

• The motivation beyond the creation of the Lab of the Future project, and the key structural challenges that the project aims to address for European laboratories, including the use of digital technologies such as AI, automation, cloud platforms, and interoperability standards to reshape laboratory work;
• The skills and training to be developed as part of the project, including the new competencies that will be critical for laboratory professionals in the Lab of the Future. Various important aspects were raised, such as digital maturity and regulatory literacy, adaptability and agility to keep up the pace with fast pace technological advancements, cyber resilience, cultural shifts, etc.
• The European Focus Group was presented as an opportunity for the participants to get involved with this project, bring their contributions and participate in the project discussions.

The exchange ended with a poll among all the participants, through which the organisers addressed the audience to find out:

1. Their level of digitalisation in their own laboratories/companies is “developing”, with a majority having already a sufficient level of knowledge and already using some advanced digital tools and initiatives, however with various challenges shared such as the lack of training, lack of systems interoperability, lack of clear strategy or cross-organisational integration and cultural resistance.
2. Another important question was referred to the specific digital tools already implemented in their working environments, such as management systems, LIMS, Spreadsheets, ChatGPT and CoPilot.
3. Last but not least the organisers collected input on the specific types of trainings the participants would be interested in, such as the use of AI in labs and practical applications, integration between software applications and equipments, LIMS & QMS systems, cybersecurity, software validation and digital compliance with standards.

The roundtable session was a successful event, dedicated to raising the awareness while sharing knowledge and capacity building, bringing ahead various of the project targeted outcomes, while collecting input and challenges from the participants.

Find out more about the Lab of the Future project:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lab-of-the-future-eu/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labofthefutureeu/