Conference Day One | March 26, 2025

8:00 am
Morning Check-In & Light Breakfast

9:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

  • Shaun Rhodes Director, Supplier Relationships - Scientific Services, AstraZeneca

Space Utilisation & R&D Workplace Strategies to Support Operational Excellence

9:10 am Utilising New Technologies to Plan & Design Your Lab of the Future for Maximum Efficiency

Synopsis

  • Designing with users and the future in mind – understanding end-user behaviour, gathering requirements, future proofing
  • Revamping your lab without expansion? – Advancing technology for fit-for-purpose space and flows, driving collaboration and productivity
  • Case study: on-time and on-budget lab transformation with positive user feedback
  • How do you measure user and process impact post-implementation? And how are systems and workflows supported?

9:40 am Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Lab Efficiency with Intelligent Data Handling

  • Ke Li Product Manager Lab Automation, Roche
  • Billy Jun Product Manager - Research and development Small Molecules, Roche

Synopsis

  • Rethinking data management and alignment of multiple data sources
  • Understand how to overcome the challenge of various data outputs during analysis from different systems
  • Leveraging connectivity to boost the efficiency of lab workflows

10:10 am Optimizing Data & Generative AI to Increase Efficiency of Lab Usage

  • Phil De Winne Vice President, Digital Collaboration, Data/ Analytics & Emerging Technologies, Avantor Inc.

Synopsis

  • Modernizing data architecture through exploration of the importance of positioning data as an enterprise asset
  • Advancing towards predictive maintenance via machine learning and other emerging technologies
  • Exploring Avantor’s advancements in Generative AI in AVA – The Voice Activated lab virtual assistant

10:40 am
Morning Coffee Break & Speed Networking

11:40 am Keeping to a Gold Standard: When is it Time to Change Service Providers?

  • Lisbhit Janet England Global Procurement Category Manager R&D_ Laboratory Equipment and Maintenances, Novartis

Synopsis

  • Learn how to ensure service level agreements are adhered to and negotiate a better contract with suppliers
  • When should insider maintenance be prioritised as opposed to outsourcing contracts?
  • Learn how to take advantage of both fleet optimisation and Capex purchases or CapEX and OpEX hand to hand to ensure savings

12:10 pm Optimising Laboratory Operations with Digital Services. Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Synopsis

  • How Agilent’s CrossLab Connect digital suite can improve efficiency and sustainability, and also reduce costs in the laboratory
  • Real-life examples in large and small laboratories. How to maximise benefits and realise successful outcomes
  • What are the key requirements for a successful implementation?
  • Considerations for GxP and high-throughput laboratories

12:50 pm
Networking Lunch

2:00 pm Strategies for Seamless Asset Lifecycle & Inventory Management in Facility Operations

Synopsis

  • Increasing operational efficiency for all labs regardless of size
  • Evolving to data-driven OpEx & CapEx decision-making & planning
  • Exploring the foundational elements of a best-in-class Managed-Services Program

2:30 pm Restructuring Inventory Tracking of Consumables

  • Koji Urata Product Lifecycle Engineering Manager - Bioware, ONI

Synopsis

  • Ensuring the balance between maintaining the correct quantity of consumables and preventing the accumulation of a surplus
  • Optimise CapEx and maintenance budget by optimising stock systems to identify and replace assets more effectively
  • What kind of inventory tracking system plan is realistic?

3:00 pm Agility & Flexibility for Your Lab Planning & Workplace Strategy

Synopsis

  • Balancing the short-term needs, mid-term growth aggression and long-term uncertainty: what do we need from a lab space perspective?
  • Evaluating your investment today for future requirements in lab assets and facility – which should you prioritise?
  • How to justify your OPEX and CAPEX costs for your lab asset and facility
  • Exploring the multiple hats and challenges for Head of Lab Ops

3:30 pm
Afternoon Networking Break

4:00 pm Roundtable: The New Age of Digitisation vs Lab Informatics – From System Integration to Data Management

  • Shaun Rhodes Director, Supplier Relationships - Scientific Services, AstraZeneca

Synopsis

The emphasis of smart labs and lab informatics has given lab operations experts the visibility of asset utilisation, inventory, and procurement. However, integration of lab systems and extrapolating data insights to make more informed decisions and implement change have inevitably become more challenging, particularly for mid-sized biotechs.

This interactive roundtable discussion will equip you with new ideas and potential solutions to:

  • Evaluate your current lab systems requirements and how to map out process change
  • Improve the innerworkings of lab systems and infrastructure integration with your lab informatics and lab IT functions
  • Better handle data management and security, and the ability to draw insights from your data to improve asset management, inventory and operating models for operational excellence and capital efficiency

During this session, we will split the audience into 3 groups to evaluate how they currently work with lab systems & lab informatics team – their challenges and limitations, and come up with 1 tangible action point to feedback with the rest of the audience.

4:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks & End of Day One

  • Shaun Rhodes Director, Supplier Relationships - Scientific Services, AstraZeneca