Markus Püttmann
Opening Achema
Hall 4.0, Saal Europa. DECHEMA / Markus Püttmann
ACHEMA 2027, the world forum for chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, process engineering, biotechnology and industrial environmental technology, and the world’s leading trade show for the life science and process industries, will take place in Frankfurt am Main from 14 to 18 June 2027. The call for papers for the ACHEMA Congress is now open. Submissions are accepted until 4 October 2026.
The ACHEMA Congress is the meeting place for researchers, developers, expert users and visionaries. Together they discuss the latest technical developments and solutions for the current and future challenges of the life science and process industries. A total of six innovation themes – ‘Digital’, ‘Energy’, ‘Green’, ‘Lab’, ‘Pharma’ and ‘Process’ – form the overarching framework for the congress programme. This ensures that none of the issues currently preoccupying the industry are left out.
This ambition is also evident in the Action Area Digital Lab: as a fully automated and digitalised laboratory of the future, the live demonstration shows how the data gap between the laboratory and production can be bridged – from sample collection through to handover to the manufacturing execution system. The underlying engineering questions are then explored in depth in the congress session “Linking the Lab with Production”.
Papers can now be submitted via www.achema.de/congress. The website lists all the congress topics, which range from “AI for the process industry” and “Bioprocessing & next-generation therapeutics” to “Industrial water management” and “Water as a critical resource for industrial transformation”. The congress language is English, and abstracts can be submitted until 4 October 2026.
One key theme is already emerging: modular production – ranging from standardised process modules and flexible pharmaceutical plants to modular automation based on the MTP approach – runs as a cross-cutting theme through multiple sessions, reflecting growing pressure on the industry to produce faster, more flexibly and more capital-efficiently. Industrial cyber security features as a standalone congress theme for the first time. As process plants become more connected, the protection of operational technology – from risk analysis and secure OT architectures to regulatory compliance under IEC 62443 – has moved firmly onto the boardroom. The track invites contributions from plant operators, OT security specialists and regulators.
As an essential part of ACHEMA, the congress is fully integrated into the exhibition. All sessions take place either on stages directly in the exhibition halls or in the immediate vicinity of the exhibition groups. The 2027 programme – with over 900 presentations, panels and workshops expected across six innovation themes – arrives at a moment when the industry is being asked to decarbonise, digitalise, being more efficient than ever before and defend its operational technology at the same time. The 2024 edition drew more than 30,000 congress participants, making it the largest in ACHEMA's history.
“The life science and process industries are facing questions that no single company can answer on its own: How do we electrify processes? How do we scale up bioprocesses for personalised therapies? How can we further improve energy efficiency? How do we ensure the reliability of AI in plant operations? The ACHEMA Congress 2027 brings together precisely the people who are working on these answers,” says Dr Andreas Förster, Executive Director of DECHEMA e.V., which curates the congress content. The ACHEMA Congress is thus a central element of the innovation value chain and, together with the exhibition, offers a comprehensive 360-degree perspective of trends and technologies.
ACHEMA Trend Reports for your coverage of ACHEMA
Get an overview of the current topics in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries. The ACHEMA Trend Reports highlight the latest developments in areas such as industrial energy supply, pharmaceutical production, bioprocess technology and plant engineering. They are available free of charge to journalists and editorial offices. Please indicate "ACHEMA" as the source and inform us about the publication at presse@dechema.de. Click here for the trend reports – more will be added gradually until ACHEMA: https://www.achema.de/en/press/trend-reports.