Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening

What Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening does

SLAS is a global nonprofit professional society, incorporated in Illinois in 2010 under IRC Section 501(c)(3) as the surviving entity of a merger between the Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) and the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA). The organization serves more than 18,000 life sciences research and development professionals across academia, government, and industry, with a stated mission of advancing laboratory science and technology through education, scientific exchange, and standards development. Its core platforms are APPLIED, an online learning center offering webinars, micro-credentials, short courses, and recorded conference content; CONNECTED, a professional networking community; the SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology peer-reviewed journals; and a series of physical conferences including the flagship SLAS International Conference & Exhibition (alternating Boston and San Diego), the SLAS Europe conference (Vienna, Hamburg, Geneva), and specialized symposia such as the Sample Management Symposium.

SLAS monetizes through a hybrid nonprofit revenue model. The primary recurring stream is membership dues across Premier, Early-Career Professional, Retired, and Lab Level tiers, with members receiving free conference access, journal access, and networking benefits. Secondary streams include non-member conference registration ($249 for SLAS2021 Digital) and workshop fees ($49 members / $99 non-members / $25 students), tiered corporate sponsorships (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Supporting), institutional journal subscriptions, and paid education products (micro-credentials, boot camps, short courses). Distribution is hybrid: digital via APPLIED and CONNECTED for self-serve learning and networking, and in-person via international and regional conferences and meet-ups. Customers are segmented into individual life sciences researchers (primary), students and early-career professionals, technology vendors and industry partners (sponsors/exhibitors), and pharmaceutical/biotech employers seeking workforce training resources.

Name

Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening

Legal name

Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening

Website

https://slas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global nonprofit professional society serving 18,000+ life sciences R&D professionals through conferences, peer-reviewed journals, online learning (APPLIED), and networking (CONNECTED), funded by membership dues, corporate sponsorships, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Laboratory automation
• Scientific conferences
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Professional membership
• Microplate standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SLAS operates on a membership model where annual dues provide access to conferences, publications, networking platforms, and member benefits. Membership types include Premier, Early-Career Professional, Retired, and Lab Level memberships.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from conference registration fees for non-members ($249 for SLAS2021 Digital), workshop fees ($49-99 for members), and special event programming.
3. Publications and Subscriptions: Revenue from SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology journal subscriptions, as well as other publication offerings.
4. Sponsorships and Exhibitor Fees: Revenue from corporate sponsors, exhibitor booth fees, and branding opportunities at conferences. SLAS has a corporate partner program with sponsors at various levels (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Supporting).
5. Online Education and Training: Revenue from APPLIED platform courses, micro-credentials programs, short courses, and recorded educational content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SLAS is a non-profit professional society that delivers member services for life science research and development professionals through annual memberships, international and regional conferences, peer-reviewed journals (SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology), online educational content via the APPLIED platform, professional networking via CONNECTED, symposia and workshops, and industry standards such as the ANSI/SLAS Microplate Standards. The core offering centers on advancing laboratory science and technology through education, scientific exchange, and community engagement.

Product overview

The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is a global nonprofit professional organization, not a product company. SLAS offers a comprehensive ecosystem of member services including two peer-reviewed scientific journals (SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology), an online learning platform (APPLIED) with webinars, micro-credentials, and recorded content, professional networking infrastructure (CONNECTED), annual international and regional conferences, Topical Interest Groups, and career development resources including mentorship, awards, and a job board. The APPLIED Online Learning platform provides the primary educational content delivery system combining live and on-demand webinars, training programs like the Applied Liquid Handling Boot Camp, and the Micro-Credentials Program. CONNECTED enables member networking while the conference events (International Conference, Europe Conference, Sample Management Symposium) provide in-person engagement. These services work together to advance laboratory science through education, collaboration, and recognition of innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APPLIED: SLAS Online Learning Center offering webinars, on-demand content, short courses, micro-credentials, and educational resources for the life sciences community.
• CONNECTED
• SLAS Ignite
• Innovation AveNEW

Products and services

• SLAS Membership

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered key partner, showcase partner and corporate partner.

• PulpFixinkey partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026PulpFixin serves as Official Sustainability Sponsor for SLAS Europe 2026 Conference in Vienna and Key Sustainability Supporter at SLAS2026 in Boston. CEO Chad Jenkins chairs the newly formed Sustainability in Science Topical Interest Group. Company sponsors water bottle filling stations at conferences and showcases its portfolio of compostable, recyclable and automation-compatible lab products. Founded in 2024, PulpFixin focuses on pulp-based alternatives to single-use plastics in life science laboratories.
• Synfinishowcase partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Synfini was selected for the SLAS 2026 Innovation AveNEW showcase at the SLAS International Conference in Boston. The company's platform enhances laboratory automation and AI in drug discovery, highlighting commercialization and strategic partnerships since spinning out from SRI in 2023.
• Analytik Jenacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Automatacorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Bioserocorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• BMG Labtechcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Brooks Life Sciencescorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Evoteccorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Festocorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• Hamilton Companycorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community. Nathaniel Hentz, PhD serves as Director, Scientific Market Development at Artel.
• Molecular Devicescorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.
• SPT Labtechcorporate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner of SLAS, participating in the corporate partner program to connect with the laboratory automation and screening community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Chemical Society (ACS): Largest scientific professional society in the U.S. with a comparable model of membership dues, peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, and educational programming. ACS operates on a much broader chemistry base versus SLAS's lab-automation focus, but its operating mechanics (journals, meetings, divisions) closely mirror SLAS.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): One of the largest cancer research professional societies globally, operating on a membership/conference/journal model very similar to SLAS. AACR has a broader life-sciences scope and larger scale, but its events, journal portfolio, and member community are structured comparably.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): Large nonprofit neuroscience professional society operating an annual meeting, two peer-reviewed journals (The Journal of Neuroscience, eNeuro), and member education. Highly comparable to SLAS in operating model despite the very different scientific domain.

Direct peers

• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS): A nonprofit scientific society serving pharmaceutical scientists with annual conferences, peer-reviewed journals, member communities, and continuing education. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and operating model, with pharma-industry overlap to SLAS's drug-discovery member base.
• Drug Information Association (DIA): Global nonprofit membership organization serving professionals involved in the discovery, development, and lifecycle management of pharmaceuticals. Operates an annual conference, educational programming, and member community in the same vein as SLAS, with strong overlap in drug discovery audiences.
• International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE): Nonprofit association serving pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering professionals with global conferences, training, publications, and industry guidance documents. Comparable membership-and-events operating model, with adjacent automation/engineering focus serving similar pharma end customers.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): Nonprofit scientific society with a comparable operating model — membership dues, peer-reviewed journals, annual conference (DiscoverBMB), awards, and educational programming. ASBMB serves a larger life sciences membership base with similar educational and community-driven GTM motion.
• Parenteral Drug Association (PDA): Nonprofit association serving pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical professionals with conferences, training, technical reports, and industry standards — overlapping with SLAS in pharma audiences and the standards-development function (PDA's technical reports parallel SLAS's ANSI/SLAS standards).
• American Association of Immunologists (AAI): Nonprofit immunology professional society with membership, an annual conference (IMMUNOLOGY), The Journal of Immunology, and career development programs. Highly analogous operating model to SLAS across member services, publications, and educational programming.

Emerging players

• Benchling: A scientific platform (R&D cloud) increasingly offering training, certification, and community features to life science R&D teams. As a workflow-native platform with deep lab integration, Benchling is a partial competitor to SLAS's APPLIED learning platform on the educational front.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/slas_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/SLASvideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/societyforlaboratoryautomationandscreening
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slas-society-for-laboratory-automation-and-screening-
• Instagraminstagram.com/slas_org
• TikToktiktok.com/@slas_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening