Automated Synthesis Forum
The 2025 Automated Synthesis Forum will be an in-person only event on the 17th and 18th November 2025 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge, UK
The Automated Synthesis Forum (formerly the UKASF), is an annual conference, organised in a not-for-profit basis by a cross-section of scientists from the industrial and academic community. The focus of the conference is on cutting-edge, enabling technologies, both post- and pre-commercialisation, which expedite real-world research in the synthetic chemistry arena.
The Forum has been operating for over 20 years and attracts representation from most major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as an increasing number of academic institutions. The meeting also hosts an equipment exhibition, which includes manufacturers and vendors aligned to the meeting themes.
The Forum was initially formed in 1996 by Dr. Nick Hird, formerly of SmithKline Beecham, as a discussion group focused on developing automated processes within combinatorial chemistry. The meeting has evolved and broadened in scope and now includes developments in analytical equipment, automated synthesis process improvements, emerging technologies and robotics.
Recent themes have included flow chemistry, photochemistry & electrochemistry, as well as developments in lab automation.