Intelligent Labs for Science
EXPERIMENT RUNNING AI ANALYSIS ACTIVE
27 – 28 May 2026

I-Labs 4S

Intelligent labs

for Science

A European flagship event where autonomous laboratories,
AI-driven discovery, and the future of science converge.

Event begins in
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AI for Science
Intelligent algorithms that propose, predict and interpret experiments.
Autonomous Labs
Robotic platforms that design, execute and optimize experiments.
Data Infrastructure
Scalable, secure and FAIR scientific data ecosystems.
Human-AI Collaboration
Augmenting researchers with advanced AI systems at every stage.
Concept Event

A pivotal moment
for autonomous
science

IMDEA Energy organizes I-Labs4S as the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics, and high-throughput experimentation transforms how discoveries are made. Conceived as a European flagship event, it brings together scientists, engineers, industrial leaders, and policymakers driving this transformation.

More than a forward-looking conference, I-Labs4S is a working meeting focused on what is already operational — and on the actions needed for Europe to lead the autonomous science revolution.

01
Accelerating Discovery
Through AI-driven platforms and intelligent automation.
02
Lab to Market
Bridging the gap between bench innovation and industrial adoption.
03
European Infrastructure
Developing standards, talent, and frameworks for Europe to lead.
European Flagship Event · Madrid 2026

"The autonomous science revolution is not coming — it is already here. Europe must lead."

Organized by IMDEA Energy · Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados

2
Days of immersive sessions & roundtables
5+
Expert sessions on autonomous science
25+
Confirmed partner organisations
Possibilities for European science leadership
Our Vision

The laboratory of the future
thinks, learns, and discovers autonomously

We stand at the threshold of a new scientific paradigm. Intelligent systems are not replacing scientists — they are amplifying human curiosity at a scale never before possible. I-Labs4S exists to accelerate this transformation across Europe and beyond.

Programme

Two days.
Six sessions.

An immersive two-day scientific agenda — from molecular discovery to European policy and industrial scale-up.
All Keynotes Talks Panels Breaks
Day One 27 May 2026 · 09:00–18:30
Day Two 28 May 2026 · 09:00–14:00
Day 01
Tuesday · 27 May 2026
From the Bench to the World
09:00 → 18:30
09:00
Registration15 min
Registration & Welcome Coffee
Delegate accreditation · Badge collection
09:30
Opening15 min
Opening Ceremony
Welcome addresses by Symposium Chair and Institutional Representatives
09:30
Session 1 · 09:30–11:15
Building the Laboratories of the Future
Chair: Jesús Palma IMDEA Energía
09:45
Talk 115 min
Victor A. de la Peña O'Shea
IMDEA Energía
The BRAIN Lab and the Rise of the Future Scientist: Will Human–AI Synergy Redefine Nobel Prize Science?
10:00
Talk 215 min
Jesús Ranz
Moeve
Pipes & Robots
10:15
Talk 315 min
Jose Miguel Seoane
Repsol
Self-driving-Labs: From Concept to Industrial Reality
10:30
Talk 415 min
Juan Antonio de Fuenmayor Varela
Fujitsu
My friend is a Terminator
10:45
Talk 515 min
Antonio Alonso
Acciona
Innovation Manager
11:00
Talk 615 min
Mónica de Mier
Nextmol
The Computational Laboratory for the Next Generation Sustainable Chemicals and Digital Transition
11:15
Coffee Break30 min
Coffee Break
11:45
Roundtable15 min
From the Lab to Market
All speakers · Chair: Victor A. de la Peña O'Shea — IMDEA Energía
13:00
Lunch60 min
Lunch Break
14:00
Session 2 · 14:00–15:15
Open Science, Ethics & Governance
Chair: Cristina Álvarez — IMDEA Energía
14:00
Talk 715 min
Esteban González
UPM
Can Laboratories Talk to Each Other? FAIR Principles and Data Spaces
14:15
Talk 815 min
Ana Herrera
PONS IP
Open Science sin perder el control: cómo proteger los resultados y datos en proyectos colaborativos
14:30
Talk 915 min
Patricio Reyes
BSC
Open Science and Opportunities for Collaboration with Supercomputing Centers
14:45
Talk 1015 min
Jesús Marco
IFCA-CSIC
Exploring a new world?
15:00
Roundtable15 min
Science Without Secrets?
All speakers · Chair: Cristina Álvarez — IMDEA Energía
16:00
Coffee Break30 min
Coffee Break
16:30
Session 3 · 16:30–17:30
Inteligence for Self-Driving Labs
Chair: Carlos Balaguer — UC3M
16:30
Talk 1115 min
Carlos Balaguer
UC3M
Global Trends in Intelligent Robotics
16:45
Talk 1215 min
Hector Montes
UPM
Towards Intelligent Laboratories: Integrating Collaborative Robotic Arms in Academic and Research Environments
17:00
Talk 1315 min
Ángela Ribeiro
CAR-CSIC
Autonomous Mobile Robotics for Intelligent Laboratory Workflows
17:30
Roundtable15 min
From the Lab to Market
All speakers · Chair: Carlos Balaguer — UC3M
18:30
End of Day One
End of Day One Formal Programme
Day 02
Wednesday · 28 May 2026
Europe, Scale-Up, and the Future
09:00 → 15:00
09:00
Session 4 · 09:00–11:20
Building the Lab of the Future (Spain & Europe)
Chair: Jesús Rojo - Fundación Madri+d
09:30
Talk 1615 min
Representative TBC
Comunidad de Madrid
Title TBC
09:45
Talk 1715 min
Marian Ferre
AEI
Title TBC
10:00
Talk 1815 min
Luis Maeso
CDTI
CDTI. Iniciativas Estratégicas
10:15
Talk 1915 min
Lara Rodríguez
Fundación Madri+d
El EDIH Madrid Región 2.0 como impulsor de la innovación digital
10:30
Talk 2015 min
Eduardo Troche
28 Digital
Supporting EU digital ecosystems from lab to scale up
10:45
Roundtable15 min
Europe's Lab of the Future
All speakers; Chair: Jesús Rojo - Fundación Madri+d
11:30
Coffee Break20 min
Coffee Break
11:40
Session 5 · 11:40–14:00
Emerging Directions in AI-Driven Labs
Chair: Victor A. de la Peña 0'Shea — IMDEA Energía
11:45
Talk 2115 min
Dr. Yuhui Hou
ETH Zürich
Title TBC
12:00
Talk 2215 min
Dr. Julio Lloret
ICIQ
Towards Closed-Loop Automatic Catalysts Development
12:15
Talk 2315 min
Dr. Sergio Pablo García
IMM - CSIC
Workflow foundations for autonomous laboratories
12:30
Talk 2415 min
Dr. Jin Hyun Chang
DTU
Accelerating Sustainable Electrolyte Design: A Self-Driving Approach to High-Entropy Formulations
12:45
Talk 2515 min
Dr. Iñaki Martinez Sarriegui
TECNALIA
Next-Generation Digital Labs: Data, AI & Visual Technologies as Key Enablers
13:00
Talk 2615 min
Dr. Fernando Fernández
UC3M
Artificial Intelligence for Human-Robot Interaction
13:15
Talk 2715 min
Dr. Pelayo García de Arquer
ICFO
Automated protocol optimization towards reliable active and stable catalysts for water splitting
13:30
Talk 2815 min
Dr. Maciej Haranczyk
IMDEA Materiales
Self-Driving Laboratories for Polymers and Polymer Nanocomposites at IMDEA Materials
13:45
Talk 2915 min
Dr. Joaquín Otón
ALBA Synchrotron
From Complex Data to Solutions: An Integrative Scientific Framework
14:00
Talk 3015 min
Dr. Ruben San Segundo
UPM
IPTC: Enabling Autonomous Scientific Infrastructures
14:15
Talk 3115 min
Dr. Kaushik Mallik
IMDEA Software
Keeping AI Safe: A Formal Methods Perspective
14:30
Talk 3215 min
Dr. Jorge Bravo Abad
UAM
From Productivity Tool to Discovery Infrastructure: The Next Phase of AI for Science
14:45
Close
Close Remarks & End of Symposium
Organized by IMDEA Energía · FOTOFUEL · FOTOART5.0· Fundación Madri+d
Key Themes

Shaping the
frontier of
autonomous
discovery

Self-Driving Labs
Design, architecture and deployment of autonomous experimental platforms across academia and industry.
Robotics & Automation
End-to-end robotic workflows for complex experimental processes and high-throughput experimentation.
Governance & Ethics
Open science, IP frameworks, and responsible governance for AI-driven research at scale.
Scale-Up & Transfer
Translating autonomous lab results into industrial applications and real-world scientific impact.
Confirmed Speakers

The minds shaping
the future of science

World-leading scientists, engineers, and innovators driving the autonomous laboratory revolution across Europe and beyond.

Victor de la Peña O'Shea
Session 01 ·
Víctor de la Peña O'Shea
ORGANISER
Head of Unit of Photoactivated Processes Unit · Director of the Brain Lab
IMDEA Energía
Jesus Ranz
Session 01 ·
Jesus Ranz
Industry 5.0 Digital Innovation
MOEVE
Miguel Seoane
Session 01 ·
José Miguel Seoane
Data & Modelling Technical Advisors
REPSOL
Juan Antonio de Fuenmayor
Session 01 ·
Juan Antonio de Fuenmayor
Head of Insurance Solutions
Fujitsu
Antonio Alonso
Session 01 ·
Antonio Alonso
---
Acciona
Mónica de Mier
Session 01 ·
Mónica de Mier
CEO and co-founder of Nextmol
Nextmol
Esteban Gonzalez Guardia
Session 02 ·
Esteban Gonzalez Guardia
Computer Engineer
UPM
Ana Herrera
Session 02 ·
Ana Herrera Arroyo
Manager of the Patent Department | European Patent Attorney
PONS IP
Patricio Reyes
Session 02 ·
Patricio Reyes
Head of the Urban Data Science Research Line, Data Analytics and Visualization Group
Barcelona Supercomputing Center
Jesus Marco
Session 02 ·
Jesus Marco
Professor
Instituto de Física de Cantabria, IFCA
Carlos Balaguer
Session 03 ·
Carlos Balaguer
Professor Emeritus of Robotics
Universidad Carlos III
Héctor Montes Franceschi
Session 03 ·
Héctor Montes Franceschi
Assitant Professor IN Mechatronics and Advanced Design in Robotics. MAD-Robotics
UPM
Angela Ribeiro
Session 03 ·
Angela Ribeiro
Full Professor and Coordinator of the Artificial Perception Group (APG)
Centro de Automática y Robótica, CSIC-UPM
Angeles Ferre
Session 04 ·
Mª Ángeles Ferre González
Scientific-Technical Thematic Programs Subdivision
Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Luis Maeso
Session 04 ·
Luis Maeso
Technical Officer, Department of Institutional Promotion and Regional Cooperation, CDTI Innovation
CDTI
Lara Rodriguez Ruibal
Session 04 ·
Lara Rodriguez Ruibal
Coordinadora EDIH Madrid Region 2.0 en la Fundación para el Conocimiento madri+d
Fundación Madri+d
Eduardo Troche
Session 04 ·
Eduardo Troche Pesqueira
Ecosystem Lead · Green Digital
28DIGITAL
Yuhui Hou
Session 05 ·
Dr. Yuhui Hou
Senior Scientist high throughput lab automation
ETH Zürich
Julio Lloret
Session 05 ·
Julio Lloret
Group Leader
Institute Català d'Investigació Química, ICIQ
Sergio Pablo
Session 05 ·
Sergio Pablo García
Researcher at the Institute of Micro- and Nanotechnology
IMN-CNM,CSIC
Jin Hyun Chang
Session 05 ·
Jin Hyun Chang
Associate Professor
Technical University of Denmark
Iñaki Sarriegui Martínez
Session 05 ·
Iñaki Sarriegui Martínez
Principal Investigator and Project Director, Digital Cores.
Tecnalia
Fernando Fernandez
Session 05 ·
Fernando Fernandez
Full Professor Universidad Carlos III de Madrid / Founder and CSO of Inrobics
UC3M
F.Pelayo Garcia
Session 05 ·
Pelayo Garcia Arquer
Group Leader of CO2 Mitigation Accelerated by Photons
Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas, ICFO
Maciej Haranczyk
Session 05 ·
Maciej Haranczyk
Leader of the Accelerated Materials Discovery Group
IMDEA MATERIALES
Joaquin Oton
Session 05 ·
Joaquin Oton
Head of Methodology Group
ALBA Synchrotron
Rubén Sansegundo
Session 05 ·
Rubén Sansegundo
Director, Information Processing and Telecommunication Center
UPM
Kaushik Mallik
Session 05 ·
Kaushik Mallik
---
IMDEA Software
Jorge Bravo
Session 05 ·
Jorge Bravo Abad
Associate Professor of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics
Universidad Autonoma

Speaker names and biographies will be announced progressively.  ·  Register to receive updates →

Supporting Organisations

Powered by Europe's
leading institutions

I-Labs4S is made possible by the commitment of world-class research centres,
public bodies, and industry leaders driving autonomous science forward.

IMDEA Energy
Our Mission

Empowering scientists with intelligent systems to solve the world's most complex challenges.

A European initiative for the next generation of research

I-Labs4S is developing the infrastructure, tools, and methods to enable a new paradigm of AI-driven scientific discovery — connecting laboratories, data, and researchers across Europe and beyond. More than a conference, it is a working meeting where the future of science is being built.

27 – 28 May 2026

Join I-Labs4S
in Madrid

Two days of sessions, roundtables, and working groups at the intersection of AI, robotics, and scientific discovery. Organized by IMDEA Energy.

Register for the Event  →
Madrid, Spain
27 – 28 May 2026
Scientists, Engineers, Policymakers
Venue & Location

Where it happens

IMDEA Energía · Avenida Ramón de la Sagra 3, Móstoles, Madrid

Host Institution
IMDEA Energía
Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados
Dates
27 – 28 May 2026
Address
Avenida Ramón de la Sagra 3
28935 Móstoles, Madrid
Get Directions  →
Public Transport
· Subway Sation: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Line 12)
· Renfe Station: Móstoles-El Soto (Line C-5)
· Bus Station: Av.Ramón Sagra-Federico Cantero Villamil (Line 3)