How can plant cell culture become a robust, scalable and economically viable industrial production platform?

At the Plant Cell Summit 2026 in Oxford, international experts from academia, industry and regulatory organisations addressed this challenge—from cell biology and bioprocess engineering to industrialisation, product quality and market access.

Dr. Henrik Nausch contributed on behalf of Fraunhofer IME on two interconnected fronts. 

His keynote reflected our vision: From Data to Decisions – From Lab to Industrial Reality. By connecting data-driven process design, predictive and adaptive bioprocesses, and scalable intelligent manufacturing, we aim to turn digitalisation into industrial practice, improving development efficiency, reducing costs and scale-up risks, and strengthening industrial competitiveness.

Beyond his keynote, Henrik Nausch was a key contributor to the Oxford Declaration on Plant Cell Culture and will actively support its implementation as a member of the Steering Group. The Declaration establishes four priorities for collective action: comparability, research and technology priorities, a common narrative, and regulatory understanding.

A special thank-you to the entire organising team for an exceptionally well-conceived and executed Summit! Particularly remarkable was the thoughtfully designed programme, balancing focused presentations and panel discussions with sufficient time for networking and personal exchange. Social activities offered further opportunities to continue discussions and explore future collaborations. The level of preparation, professionalism and care was truly outstanding and deserves special recognition.

These impressions from Oxford reflect the international collaboration and shared commitment to translating scientific progress into industrial reality.