BUILDING THE FUTURE OF RESEARCH: Expanding Facilities | Maximizing Space | Accelerating Discovery

1 June 2027

Chicago, IL, USA

The US research landscape is entering a new era.

State of the art research facilities are vital to attract top-tier faculty and students, secure major grants, and foster lucrative industry partnerships. This is driving Institutions to boost research capacity by investing in new high-performing facilities, modernizing existing spaces, and optimizing space utilization to advance cutting-edge research, remain competitive, and address operational needs.

To stay competitive, we must rethink the way we design, fund, and manage our research ecosystems.

Join leaders in estates development, campus planning, facilities management, architecture, research operations and more at the Future Research Facilities Summit 2026 this June.

Explore how leading facilities are designing and delivering the next generation of flexible, efficient, and sustainable research spaces, and discover how your institution can future-proof its spaces for the science of tomorrow.

2026 Speakers Included:

Barbara Manley-Smith MHL

Director Research Facilities Augusta University

Noel Davis

Senior Director of Planning and Sustainability Northwestern University

Janette Scott

Senior Associate Gensler

Jotham Austin

Director of Advanced Electron Microscopy and Research Associate Professor University of Chicago

Joseph Fair

Capital Delivery Project Manager University of Chicago

Olivia Danielson-Veed

Senior Project Interior Designer HOK

Tim Green

Project Manager MDC Architects

Niraj Dangoria

Vice Chancellor UC San Diego

Elizabeth Moggio

Principal The Miller Hull Partnership

Alli Mallory

Associate Principal HED

Pete Isaac

Senior Vice President Ancora

Daniel Niewoehner

Principal, Regional Leader of Science and Technology HOK

Nico Hohman

Executive Director of Operations, Capitol Campus Georgetown University

Jitendra Sawant

Associate Architect SmithGroup

Klay Matlock

Assistant Director of Facilities University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Bridget Lesniak

Principal Perkins & Will

Chris Vogelheim

Principal HED

Jay Baehr

Director of Project Management for Facilities Management-Capital Programs Northwestern University

This event will provide you with the necessary tools to:

Who Should Attend:

This Summit is designed for VPs, Directors, Heads, Managers, Scientists and Specialists from:

  • Architecture/Design
  • Facilities Management
  • Facilities Operations
  • Lab/Research Operations
  • Facilities & Infrastructure
  • Site Operations
  • Campus Planning
  • Real Estate
  • Strategic Planning
  • Space Planning & Utilization
  • Project Management
  • Engineering & Infrastructure

Our sponsors include technology, service & solution providers specializing in:

  • Asset Management
  • Building Controls and Systems
  • Environmental
  • Fume Hoods
  • Monitoring Systems
  • Space Asset Utilisation
  • Ventilation systems
  • Project Management Services
  • Lab Equipment and Furniture
  • Modular/moveable fittings
  • HVAC & Mechanical (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning)
  • Construction and Facilities Management Companies
  • IT Infrastructure Connectivity

Sponsorship Opportunities

The landscape of solutions supporting research environments is expanding rapidly, creating new opportunities for innovative service providers to support institutions as they modernize, expand, and future-proof their research spaces. It is therefore a prerequisite that solution providers acquire a granular understanding of the industry’s needs in order to develop bespoke solutions that are critical to winning new business.

2026 Media Partners Included:

Testimonials

Previous

Workplace Strategy Partner, Genentech

Thanks for the opportunity to participate as a moderator for the Lab Facilities Summit. I thought that the highlight for me from the conference was the great mix of biotech and pharma companies present to exchange ideas and share solutions that have worked for our common problems. For my session, I thought I had a great group of very engaged audience members and was at the right size to have a great discussion about my topic.

Content Highlights

The Key Challenges, Priorities and Trends Currently Affecting Research Facilities

The Key Challenges, Priorities and Trends Currently Affecting Research Facilities

Ahead of our 2026 Future Research Facilities Summit, we collected insights on the key challenges, priorities, and trends affecting modern research facilities. The survey targeted research facility leaders, including senior estates, facilities, capital projects, and research infrastructure decision‑makers from higher education institutions. Their responses reveal a shared set of pressures shaping research environments today. To help… Read more »