SLAS selects 12 startups to compete for €5,000 Ignite Award at Vienna conference
The Society of Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) has announced the 12 emerging life science companies selected to participate in its Innovation AveNEW programme at SLAS Europe 2026, to be held in Vienna, Austria from 19 to 21 May 2026. The cohort spans six countries and represents a broad range of enabling technologies across laboratory automation, screening and life sciences discovery.
What is Innovation AveNEW?
Now an established fixture of the SLAS conference calendar, Innovation AveNEW is a structured support programme designed to accelerate early-stage companies in the life sciences technology sector. Selected participants receive complimentary exhibition space within a dedicated area on the conference floor, alongside travel and accommodation support for one company representative. Beyond logistical assistance, the programme offers access to business mentorship, consulting services, and exclusive promotional exposure to purchasing influencers and decision-makers from more than 40 countries.
Each participating company is additionally invited to submit a scientific manuscript to either SLAS Discovery or SLAS Technology – both peer-reviewed, Gold open-access journals published by Elsevier – offering a route to formal scientific dissemination alongside commercial activity.
The selection process and the Ignite Award
Applicants are assessed by a dedicated panel on criteria including technical merit, commercial feasibility, the strength of the management team, clarity of strategic vision, and demonstrable impact on the field of laboratory automation. Each selected company is also eligible to compete for the SLAS Ignite Award, with the winner to be announced at the conference. The prize carries a value of €5,000.
Programme impact and SLAS’s strategic rationale
The value of the programme to participants was underscored by Colin Cook, co-founder and CTO of XDemics – a previous Innovation AveNEW participant and Ignite Award winner at SLAS2026 International Conference and Exhibition. “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,” said Cook. “Many strong connections were made that are going to transform our business and marketing strategy in the HTS space.” He added that winning the Ignite Award had provided both validation and actionable commercial guidance: “The judges gave us very actionable feedback on go-to-market strategy that we are implementing.”
Vicki Loise, Chief Executive Officer of SLAS, commented: “SLAS has always prioritised providing life sciences technology start-ups with the invaluable market access, user feedback and business counsel to grow and scale their business.” She added: “We’re honoured 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.”
The Innovation AveNEW companies exhibiting at SLAS Europe 2026 are:
• 8-BOT Robotics (Germany)
• Chemetrian (USA)
• Culturon® Pty Ltd (Australia)
• DaltonTx (United Kingdom)
• The Ensynble, Inc. (USA)
• linkdlab GmbH (Germany)
• Lutèce Dynamics (France)
• PartitionBio Ltd (United Kingdom)
• Scalables (USA)
• Sync Biosystems (Netherlands)
• Syntopia (France)
• Trince (Belgium)
Vicki Loise,
Chief Executive Officer of SLAS
