Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening Announces Participation Support Grants for its 2026 International Conference and Exhibition

Oak Brook, IL (October 24, 2025) – The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) has announced the availability of Participation Support Grants, for members of the life sciences community who have been impacted by changes in funding of life sciences research in the United State and/or those who have lost their job as a result of these changes, to attend the SLAS2026 International Conference and Exhibition in Boston, February 7-11.

“We recognize the hardship that the chaotic funding policy environment has caused this year. This offering underscores our belief that a diverse attendance base at our flagship conference provides invaluable benefits to knowledge sharing as a whole,” said SLAS CEO Vicki Loise, CMP, CAE. “While the number of participation grants is limited, we hope this contribution will help some people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to engage with the technology providers and research labs that convene in Boston.”

The   Participation Support Grants will cover full-conference participation from Feb. 9-11, 2026, three nights’ hotel accommodation and one domestic round-trip airline ticket. Some limitations will apply. Participation Support Grant applications are accessible online from the SLAS2026 registration webpage and are due December  8; approved applications will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Consultants and self-employed individuals are not eligible for Participation Support Grants.

“While SLAS has always offered Unemployment Waivers available to cover the basic cost of event registration, these Participation Support Grants are a significant step up. They reflect, and are a response to, the unique and unfortunate situation that the scientific community is facing right now,” said SLAS Director of Global Events & Corporate Partnerships, Amy Wilkinson, CMP, DES.

About the SLAS2026 International Conference & Exhibition

The SLAS International Conference and Exhibition is an annual event showcasing the world’s leading life sciences and technology products, services and education. More than 7,000 life sciences researchers, academicians, laboratory automation technology providers and business leaders from more than 40 countries attend the annual conference for a cutting-edge educational program focused on life sciences discovery and technology. The Exhibition features more than 400 providers of laboratory automation and related research tools from around the world, including 18 start-up and emerging companies chosen for participation in Innovation AveNEW.

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SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.

SLAS publishes two peer-reviewed and MEDLINE-indexed scientific journals, SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology.

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