This year, Advanced Engineering, the UK’s annual gathering of engineering and manufacturing professionals, will once again be co-located with Lab Innovations, the nation’s dedicated trade show for the laboratory industry. Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, on October 29 and 30, 2025, the joint events will create a unique cross-sector platform designed to drive innovation and foster collaboration across disciplines.
With the recent announcement of the UK’s Industrial Strategy emphasising investments in life sciences, clean energy and digital technologies encouraging cross-sector collaboration is the best way achieve these ambitions. Last year’s co-location saw more than 600 exhibitors combined, with Advanced Engineering contributing over 400 and Lab Innovations adding a further 200.
The partnership proved fruitful in opening new opportunities for visitors and exhibitors alike, with companies, like Scimed, opting to showcase at both events. The company made use of both exhibitions to ensure it can provide the most innovative and world-class products through the power of collaboration. Similarly, Matsuura used the opportunity to demonstrate that its CNC and 3D-printing machines had widespread applications in both manufacturing and research contexts.
The collaboration illustrates the increasing number of sectors that operate across industries, like chemical process engineering, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which require solutions rooted in advanced materials, precision instrumentation and rigorous testing environments. Engineers developing next-generation manufacturing processes rely on lab-grade data to validate and optimise their designs, while laboratory professionals benefit from automation, robotics and digitalisation. By hosting both communities under one roof, Advanced Engineering and Lab Innovations create a natural meeting point for exchanging expertise and products that address shared challenges. With influential speakers covering important themes for aerospace, automotive, composites and additive manufacturing industries, attendees can gain valuable insights to improve their own sectors.
“Collaboration between engineering and laboratory science has never been more important,” said Simon Farnfield, Event Director at Advanced Engineering. “By co-locating with Lab Innovations, we provide a platform where different industries can come together, exchange ideas and accelerate progress in areas that demand both scientific precision and engineering efficiency.
“The engineering sector can learn a lot from our sister show. There are highly sophisticated labs that boast state-of-the-art analytical equipment as well as robotics and automation technologies. The cross-pollination can bring ideas to using sustainable materials and flexible manufacturing. We’re looking to build on the momentum of last year’s success offering a packed programme of knowledge-sharing, live demonstrations, and networking opportunities.”
Register for Advanced Engineering UK and stay ahead in fast-moving, interconnected industries here: www.advancedengineeringuk.com.