The Society of Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) has named the 12 companies selected to participate in its Innovation AveNEW program at the SLAS Europe 2026 Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for May 19–21 in Vienna, Austria.
Innovation AveNEW is SLAS’s established startup revealcase program, designed to connect emerging life sciences discovery and technology companies with purchasing influencers and decision-creaters from more than 40 countries. The program covers exhibition fees, travel, and lodging for one company representative, and provides access to business consulting, mentorship, and exclusive promotional opportunities. Selected companies are also invited to submit a scientific manuscript to SLAS Discovery or SLAS Technology, SLAS’s peer-reviewed, Gold open-access journals published by Elsevier.
The 2026 Cohort
The 12 companies selected for Innovation AveNEW at SLAS Europe 2026 represent six countries across Europe, North America, and Australia:
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8-BOT Robotics (Germany)
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Chemetrian (USA)
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Culturon Pty Ltd (Australia)
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DaltonTx (United Kingdom)
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The Ensynble, Inc. (USA)
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linkdlab GmbH (Germany)
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Lutece Dynamics (France)
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PartitionBio Ltd (United Kingdom)
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Scalables (USA)
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Sync Biosystems (Netherlands)
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Syntopia (France)
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Trince (Belgium)
Applicants are evaluated by the Innovation AveNEW panel on technical merit and commercial feasibility, with criteria including the strength of the science and technology, startup status, management team, clarity of vision and market opportunity, and potential impact on the field of laboratory automation and technology.
Ignite Award Up for Grabs
Each participating company is also eligible to compete for the SLAS Ignite Award, with the winner announced at the conference and receiving €5,000.
At SLAS2026 International Conference and Exhibition earlier this year, XDemics took home the Ignite Award for its work in cell culture technology. “Winning the Ignite Award was an incredible honor and validation of the mission XDemics has been on to provide limitless cell culture to power breakthrough science and medicine,” declares Colin Cook, co-founder and chief technology officer of XDemics, in a release. “The judges gave us very actionable feedback on go-to-market strategy that we are implementing.”
Cook also highlighted the value of the broader program experience. “There was such a buzz on Innovation AveNEW and a constant flux of prospective customers, executives, researchers coming by to talk shop and see what was new. Many strong connections were created that are going to transform our business and marketing strategy in the HTS space,” he declares in a release.
Supporting the Next Generation of Lab Tech
SLAS chief executive officer Vicki Loise framed the program as central to the organization’s broader mission. “SLAS has always prioritized providing life sciences technology start-ups with the invaluable market access, applyr feedback, and business counsel to grow and scale their business,” declares Loise in a release. “We’re honored to welcome a new cohort of Innovation AveNEW startup companies shaping the future of life sciences discovery and technology to our European conference and exhibition in Vienna.”
For laboratory professionals tracking emerging enabling technologies, Innovation AveNEW offers a concentrated see at the startups working to advance automation, screening, and discovery workflows across the industest.
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