Scale Up Conference 2026

Scaling up represents a crucial, yet often neglected, aspect of scientific innovation. Many researchers discover the limitations of “It worked in the lab” only years after leaving academia. Embedding scale-up considerations into early-stage research can greatly enhance the societal (sustainability, world health, etc.) and industrial impact of academic discoveries.

The in-person Scale Up Conference 2026 at the University of Oxford will explore the scientific and technical challenges of translating laboratory-scale discoveries in chemistry, biology, materials science, and pharmaceuticals, in to viable industrial-scale processes.

Join us to hear about “AI for Scale-up Challenges” from our keynote speaker Antonio Del Rio Chanona (Imperial College London) as well as a fireside chat on “How to scale-up the manufacturing of the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine" with Sandy Douglas, (University of Oxford). This will complement two parallel speaker tracks throughout the day on scale-up challenges in Biology and Chemistry. More speaker details can be found below.

The conference will be followed by a Laboratory Automation Showcase and networking reception in the evening.

Tickets include lunch, tea breaks and a wine reception. The event is part of the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub Programme at Jesus College Oxford.

Speakers (more to be announced soon):

• AI for Scale-Up with Antonio del Rio Chanona (Imperial College London) Developing high-performing bioprocesses is costly and complex, requiring iterative, multi-scale experimentation from microtiter plates to pilot reactors. We propose a multi-fidelity batch Bayesian optimization framework to accelerate bioprocess development and reduce experimental costs. Multiple case studies show how the proposed workflow can achieve a reduction in experimental costs and increased yield.
• Fireside Chat with Sandy Douglas (University of Oxford) Sandy led the manufacturing scale-up of the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine up to the point of transfer to AstraZeneca. This included the development of the novel low-cost large-scale manufacturing process, and initiating the formation of the UK & international 'distributed manufacturing site' consortium which has produced over a billion doses. Following this fireside chat, Sandy will be joined by other speakers for a panel discussing process scale-up across both biology and chemistry. Moderated by Jonathan Cook (Jenner Institute Oxford)
• Emma Brass (University of Liverpool) Process chemistry creates scalable routes for new lead molecules and is a crucial but laborious stage in pharmaceutical and agrochemical development cycles. We have built an automated process chemistry platform that tackles late-stage process development. Timings for round-the-clock, back-to-back experiments suggest that the weekly reaction output of the robot operating multiple reactors could exceed that of a human process chemist by a factor of 12 in an industrial setting. In this talk, I will discuss our work building this platform and the challenges that we faced.
• Matthew Bone (Principal Computational Scientist, SOLVE Chemistry) Computational chemistry for automated virtual pre-screening of various tasks like solubility at SOLVE Chemistry.
• Dania Awad (Werner-Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biology, TU Munich) The SUSPENSE project develops bio-based wood adhesives from wheat bran milling waste, a readily available, non-food biomass. SUSPENSE links biorefinery processing with circular material design, with process validation progressing from laboratory scale (100 mL) to demonstrator scale (50–200 L), the project provides a clear pathway toward sustainable, industrially viable adhesive systems.
• Laura Helleckes (Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Imperial College London) Self-driving labs for scale-up with data-driven optimisation: Bioprocess experimentation is disconnected across scales - from microtitre plates to pilot reactors - making high-performing process development costly and complex. Conventional Design of Experiments (DoE) methods often struggle to address scale-up. Laura’s talk will highlight data-driven solutions, including multi-fidelity batch Bayesian optimisation.

FIND US

This event will take place in the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub at Jesus College, Oxford. The Hub entrance is on Market Street (opposite Wagamama). The Hub is accessible, with automatic double doors at the entrance and lifts to and from the main lower ground floor event space.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please do contact [email protected] and we are happy to help.

*Filming and photography will be taking place during the event. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please notify a member of the Hub team on arrival.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Jesus College Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub