The symposium addressed key challenges in developing and manufacturing effective, personalized medicines through innovative, sustainable, and digitally enabled methods and processes. By uniting pharmacists, process and production engineers, and microtechnologists, SPhERe 2025 fostered true multidisciplinary dialogue aimed at shaping the next generation of pharmaceutical solutions.
Opening Remarks: A Call to Learn, Connect, and Collaborate
In his welcome address, Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafczyk, Vice President for Digital Transformation and Sustainability at TU Braunschweig, invited participants to embrace curiosity and collaboration:
“Over these three days, why not try to do at least one of three things: learn about one new method you can implement more or less immediately; meet one person outside your usual circle; and identify one problem that you—as a community—can solve better together than any of you could alone. Anyway, I am very confident that SPhERe 2025 will be a great experience.”
Prof. Krafczyk’s words captured the spirit of SPhERe: active engagement, open exchange, and a shared commitment to collective progress. This was further underlined by Prof. Dr. Carsten Schilde, concerence chair, who said:
“The symposium is dedicated to advancing innovation at the intersection of engineering and pharmaceutical science. It is our intent to create a unique platform for interdisciplinary exchange and shaping new solutions to today’s global health challenges.”
Keynote Highlights at SPhERe – Johan Remmelgas and Jörg Breitkreutz
Two keynote addresses marked particular highlights of the meeting. Johan Remmelgas (AstraZeneca, Sweden) spoke on Predictive Modeling and Digital Twins: Shaping the Future of Pharmaceutical Development. He illustrated how mechanistic models and digital twins are transforming formulation and process development by deepening scientific understanding and accelerating decision-making. Remmelgas emphasized that impactful models need not be complex to deliver value and discussed both the current challenges and the expanding opportunities for predictive modeling across the pharmaceutical lifecycle. Jörg Breitkreutz (HHU Düsseldorf, Germany) presented Orodispersible Minitablets for the Individual Treatment of Children: From the Idea to the Market. He traced the journey of orodispersible minitablets (ODMTs) from their first description in 2011 to their clinical and commercial realization through the EU-funded LENA project. His work exemplifies how sustained academic and industrial collaboration can translate a novel child-appropriate dosage concept into clinical practice within just fifteen years.
Both presentations embodied the symposium’s core mission of driving innovation in pharmaceutical development. While Remmelgas highlighted the importance of digitalization, Breitkreuz demonstrated how practice and industry can benefit from knowledge transfer. In addition, the discussions emphasized how interdisciplinary approaches are reshaping the landscape of pharmaceutical research and manufacturing.
SPhERe as a Catalyst for Innovation and Collaboration
The symposium’s invited lectures spanned a rich spectrum of topics, including bioanalytics, solid dosage design, regulatory-driven development of generics, digital models, novel antibiotics, and biomicrofluidics. Contributors from institutions such as Roche, University of Belgrade, Saarland University, and KTH Stockholm shared insights into emerging technologies and research trends.
A special guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Oliver Koch (University of Münster) examined the growing role of artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical sciences, while the career forum – featuring speakers from GEA, Bayer, TU Dortmund, and University of Münster – provided early-career researchers with valuable perspectives on professional development within academia and industry.
Reflecting on the event, Dr. Dmitrii V. Kalinin (Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Münster) highlighted the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration: “Looking to the future, I see great opportunities at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering.”
Kalinin’s vision builds upon Prof. Krafczyk’s call for collaboration and Prof. Schilde’s focus on interdisciplinary exchange. These remarks underscore how platforms like SPhERe enable the collective creativity necessary to realize innovative approaches within engineering and pharmaceutical sciences.
TU Braunschweig as a Hub for Pharmaceutical Innovation
SPhERe 2025 once again demonstrated TU Braunschweig’s pivotal role as a European hub for pharmaceutical innovation, bridging academic research and industrial application. By fostering dialogue, collaboration, and shared purpose, the symposium not only advanced scientific understanding but also strengthened the community driving the future of patient-centered pharmaceutical development.