The 2026 AMIC Annual Meeting on Advanced Materials & Bio‑Manufacturing for Health Sciences brought together university leaders, faculty, researchers, students, and industry partners for a full day of innovation, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Discovery Building. This year’s meeting highlighted the growing convergence of advanced materials, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and translational research, driven by strong industry–university partnerships. From research presentations and keynote talks to industry lightning talks, poster sessions, and exhibitions, the event created a dynamic platform for exchanging ideas and fostering future collaborations. Below are the Highlights of the Event:
- Inspiring Keynotes: The program featured three keynote presentations from leaders in translational science, smart data infrastructure, and advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing. Dr. Joni L. Rutter, Director of NCATS at the NIH, discussed strategies to strengthen translational research and accelerate the path from discovery to real‑world health impact. Dr. Xiaodong (Carl) Che, CTO and SVP at Western Digital, shared insights on smart data storage solutions to advance biotech research. Dr. Travis Powell of Pfizer highlighted innovations in continuous manufacturing and advanced drug formulation technologies.
- University Spotlight for People, Research Resources, and Talent Solutions: Eleven UW–Madison faculty members presented their cutting‑edge work spanning research, education, and entrepreneurship across areas such as pharmaceutical design, polymer science, synthetic extracellular matrix engineering, biochemical sensors, therapeutic cell manufacturing, CRISPR genome editing, blood–brain barrier engineering, neural organoid models, and AI‑driven biomedical discovery.
- Industry Trends and Innovation: Eight industry lightning talks featured companies including Ibidi, Aldevron, Proteintech, Invenra, Promega, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Yahara Software, and RoosterBio, highlighting the importance of strong industry–academic partnerships in advancing health sciences. In addition, we were honored to welcome companies and organizations that hosted exhibition tables and/or sponsored the event, including 3D Powder Tech (Badger Tech Foundry), Aldevron, Beckman Coulter, Ibidi, New England Biolabs, Orbia, Proteintech, VWR, WiCell, Wisconsin MRSEC, Western Digital, Amcor, DPBIO, JDR Engineering, ProBio, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waisman Biomanufacturing, Yahara Software, and Shenzhen Jiangyun Intelligence Ltd.
- Student & Industry Connections: The 24 student posters provided valuable opportunities for students and researchers to share their work directly with peers and industry representatives. These interactions fostered meaningful connections and opened pathways for internships, research collaborations, workforce development, and future partnerships.
The 2026 AMIC Annual Meeting once again demonstrated that strong collaboration among academia, industry, and research organizations is essential for advancing high‑impact technologies in health sciences. We would like to recognize the dedication of our planning committee—Xiujuan Zhang, Kerri Phillips, Lian Yu, Chris Bartley, and Krishanu Saha—as well as the tremendous support from the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) team, including Russ Johnson, Joe FitzGibbon, and Chelsy Cegielski. We also appreciate the leadership of our interdisciplinary faculty partners, Paul Voyles, Sean Palecek, and William Murphy. Finally, thank you to all attendees who joined us and made it such a productive and engaging day, stay tuned for next steps—you will hear from us soon!