SLUSH 2023

Held in the vibrant tech hub of SLUSH 2023, EFEVRE TECH's attendance in this exhibition once again proved to be a vital point towards the development of the proposed VITALE software project, attracting innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from around the globe. For EFEVRE TECH, this wasn’t just another stop on the conference circuit—it was a high-impact opportunity to present its latest breakthrough in scientific software innovation: VITALE.

While much of the spotlight at SLUSH was centered around disruptive startups and emerging technologies, Dr. Dimitris Kyriakou, CEO of EFEVRE TECH, took the stage with a powerful pitch focused on solving one of science’s most pressing challenges: reproducibility in Life-Science Research.

Presenting VITALE to a Scientific Audience: A New Era in Laboratory Efficiency

Even though the proposed VITALE software was still in its development phase during SLUSH, it was introduced as an ongoing AI-powered digital companion for life-science researchers, engineered to offer unmatched usability, transparency, and 24/7 operational support.

In his pitch, Dr. Kyriakou highlighted how the proposed VITALE project is designed to streamline research workflows and tackle the global reproducibility crisis by introducing a cohesive digital ecosystem that combines structured protocol management, intelligent automation, and real-time data insights. He emphasized that VITALE will not simply digitize laboratory tasks, but it redefine how experiments are planned, executed, and evaluated. By automating repetitive processes, standardizing data collection, and offering AI-driven recommendations, the proposed solution ensures that research is not only more efficient but also scientifically robust and replicable across labs, teams, and institutions worldwide.

During the pitch the six core features of the VITALE software were highlighted:

Status/Dashboard: Provides real-time protocol run monitoring per device status and protocol activity.
Protocol Designer: Empowers scientists to create custom, detailed, and reusable experimental workflows.
Protocol Library: Offers access to protocols from all VITALE users of standardized procedures to enhance shareability.
Scheduling Calendar: Coordinates laboratory protocol runs per color organization based on personnel and project.
Personal Labbook: A digital replacement for traditional notebooks—fully automated log, secure, and compliant.
AI Insights: An intelligent assistant that detects anomalies, suggests optimizations, and supports predictive next steps.

With 24/7 accessibility and a seamless interface, VITALE aims to become an indispensable tool in every research facility, helping laboratories to reduce human error, accelerate discoveries, and strengthen the scientific validity of their work.

Strategic Partnerships Created

A standout outcome from SLUSH 2023 was the establishment of a collaborative relationship with the University of Helsinki, a global leader in medical and life-science research. Through this new connection and partnership created during the SLUSH event, EFEVRE TECH desires to gain access to world-class research facilities, scientific mentorship, and a pool of expert researchers who are ideally positioned to test and validate the VITALE system in real lab environments.

This collaboration will support the real-world testing of VITALE’s digital tools, allowing researchers to evaluate its features and performance in active laboratory environments. Through remote demonstrations and workshops, EFEVRE TECH (HO) and the University of Helsinki will work closely to refine the VITALE platform’s usability and ensure the specific needs and workflows of life-science professionals align with the project's objectives. Additionally, the partnership will enable the development of joint research publications, providing scientific validation for VITALE’s contributions to reproducibility, automation, and the overall advancement of digital lab ecosystems.

Market-Driven Feedback from a Scientific Audience

Despite SLUSH’s broader technology focus, EFEVRE TECH targeted and highly engaged scientific audience—particularly among med-tech startups, university researchers, and investors in healthcare innovation.

Some key feedback and insights gained from the event included:

Strong market appetite for modularity: Scientists and laboratory managers emphasized the need for a customizable dashboard and feature set tailored to their research areas (molecular biology, diagnostics, pharmacology, etc.).
Validation tools: Multiple researchers expressed interest in built-in version control, approval workflows, and timestamping for regulatory compliance and reproducibility audits. To answer to this demand, we suggested a scoring system of the published protocols, as well as a 'work for me' button. To ensure the validity of the scoring system for each protocol, the integrity of the researcher will also be affected, ensuring the users/researchers leave a valid scoring and review.

This feedback is now being directly integrated into VITALE’s ongoing development, ensuring it not only meets current research needs but also anticipates future demands in both academic and commercial research settings.

Looking Ahead

With the insights gained at SLUSH 2023 and the momentum from new partnerships, EFEVRE TECH is advancing VITALE toward pilot deployments, with key institutions already expressing interest in early adoption. The journey from concept to solution for the VITALE project is fueled not just by technology, but by the real-world feedback received, challenges faced, and expectations of the scientific community. SLUSH offered exactly that: a high-impact venue for validation, collaboration, and co-creation.

Stay tuned as we continue building VITALE—an intelligent foundation for the future of research!

The Project with the proposal number ENTERPRISES/0223/Sub-Call1/105 and project acronym VITALE is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility of the NextGenerationEU instrument, through the Ίδρυμα Έρευνας και Καινοτομίας/Research and Innovation Foundation.