#EBW26 Editorial: Festo on automation and the future of biobanking
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The Europe Biobank Week Congress highlights new developments and addresses key topics in the global biobanking and biomolecular resources field. It serves as a hub for professionals, patients, and government representatives to come together, exchange ideas, and gain valuable insights. Over four days, participants can attend inspiring keynote speeches, join in discussions, network with others and explore exhibits showcasing the latest technologies and products.
We have spoken with all of our sponsors for 2026 to understand why they value being part of the most important in-person event of the year for the global biobanking community. Here’s what Festo had to say.
Company description
Festo is a global automation leader with over 100 years of engineering excellence, headquartered in Esslingen, Germany. Through its LifeTech division, Festo develops precision automation components and subsystems purpose-built for life sciences — including laboratory instrumentation, in-vitro diagnostics, and bioprocessing. For the biobanking community, Festo brings proven expertise in liquid handling, sample processing, and high-throughput automation — enabling standardised, reproducible, and scalable workflows critical to biobank quality and sustainability. Festo collaborates closely with OEMs, system integrators, and research institutions to co-develop solutions that bridge the gap between cutting-edge biobank science and reliable industrial-grade automation.
Why does it matter to be at EBW26?
Biobanks are evolving from sample repositories into highly automated, data-driven infrastructure critical for precision medicine and translational research. As sample volumes grow and quality requirements tighten, the need for reliable, standardised automation becomes urgent. EBW26 is where the biobanking community comes together to shape this future — and Festo wants to be part of that conversation. Festo believes industrial automation expertise, combined with deep life science understanding, can help biobanks achieve the scalability, reproducibility, and operational sustainability they need for the next decade.
What new innovation are you bringing or what are you most looking forward to?
Festo is looking forward to engaging directly with biobank professionals to understand their most pressing automation challenges — from sample aliquoting and liquid handling to fully integrated pre-analytical workflows. Festo brings proven precision components such as miniaturised valves, rotary actuators, and motion platforms already trusted in IVD and laboratory instrumentation. At EBW26, Festo wants to explore how these technologies can be adapted and co-developed specifically for biobank applications, helping the community move from manual processes toward robust, scalable automation.