Professor Wallhäußer Award for Innovations in GMP and Pharmaceutical Technology
The Professor Wallhäußer Award 2026 for Innovations in GMP and Pharmaceutical Technology will be presented at the GMP PharmaCongress & GMP PharmaTechnica Expo on 24/25 March 2026.
The following topics are particularly relevant for the award:
- Technical innovations in systems to improve product quality and efficiency
- Innovations in the area of sustainability / CO2 neutrality / resource conservation
- Integration of artificial intelligence, e.g. in machine control systems, other system components, but also in processes, production sequences and production control for efficient and GMP-compliant pharmaceutical technology and production.
Submission deadline was 31 December 2025. However, if you need any further information or if you have an interesting project that you think we should still consider for the 2026 award, please contact Mr Axel Schroeder at schroeder@concept-heidelberg.de.
Professor Wallhäußer Award 2026 - 23 Submissions
This year, 23 entries were submitted for the award, which is endowed with 5,000 euros, from which a 13-member committee will select a winner. The following proposals were submitted this year:
- Smart-Linear - new standards in modern feeding technology
PSA Zuführtechnik - Pharmaclean Integra®: AM’s new technology for packaging 100% aligned with Annex 1 requirements
AM - Technical innovations in systems to improve product quality and efficiency
EAH CARE SEZ LTD - HOF CryoBlizzard technology with innovative buffer tank technology
HOF Sonderanlagenbau - AI as a Virtual Risk Expert: Transforming FMEA into a Predictive, Continuous Risk Management
Molgenium - Automated Reading of Agar Plates for Environmental Monitoring with AI
AstraZeneca - Data Computation Platform (DCP) - GMP-compliant Pharma 4.0 solution for real-time process monitoring and advanced data analytics
Roche Diagnostics - UVD Robot Pharma: Autonomous UV-C Disinfection to Improve Efficiency, Sustainability and GMP Compliance
Blue Ocean Robotics / UVD Robots - Bausch+Ströbel Aseptic Bowl-Free-Feed - a solution that eliminates the sorting bowl entirely
Bausch+Ströbel - ZEROC – Rapid Transfer Port (RTP) Integrity Testing System
Tema Sinergie - West Synchrony S1 Prefilled Syringe System
West Pharmaceutical Services - Modular mobile robotics for GMP-regulated cleanrooms: H.U.G.S. –HEITEC Universal GMP Solution
HEITEC - MAS-100 Libra - Automated Settle Plate Changer for coninous Air Monitoring
MBV - FE CPS in Continuous Operation - A Game Changer for Continuous Manufacturing in Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Production
Fette Compacting - EZIFlow - UV-C CSV - anew system for the safe transfer of aseptic powder
Ezi-Dock Systems Limited - GEMÜ 652 Pulsation Damper: Reliable Process Safety Through Innovative Pressure Compensation
GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau - AI-Based Assistance Software to Increase Production Efficiency in a GMP-Regulated Environment
Bayer - Multi-Colour Image Processing (MCIP) technology illuminates pharmaceutical containers in multicoloured light for precise optical in-line inspection
HEUFT SYSTEMTECHNIK - Innovation in Quality Control – AI Automated Foci Counting to transform quality control processes, ensuring efficiency, reproducibility, and GMP compliance
Takeda - Next Level of Process Valve Automation
Multi-functional valve actuation GEMÜ 44A0
GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau - ECO-SurF / ECOlogical SURface Finishing
Bolz Intec - Millipore Express® Ace 0.2 μm membrane: A Sustainable Non-PFAS Biopharma Aseptic Filtration Solution
Merck - AI-Driven Optical Microbiology for Rapid,Incubation-Free Microbial Analysis
Spore.Bio
The award ceremony will take place as part of the GMP PharmaCongress on 24 March 2026 in Wiesbaden, which will once again feature around 100 presentations from the fields of pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical production, pharmaceutical technology, quality assurance and quality control. Or visit the acompanying PharmaTechnica with round about 120 Exhibitors and 16 Live Demos.
Professor Wallhäußer Award 2025
The Professor Wallhäußer 2025 Award for Innovations in GMP and Pharmaceutical Technology was presented at GMP PharmaCongress & GMP PharmaTechnica 2025.
Altogether 14 projects were submitted for the Innovation Award 2025, from which the jury selected three finalists. In recognition of the project "Production of Small-Volume Batches using the Low Pressure Fluid Transfer System „Sartophague", the Innovation Award 2025, endowed with EUR 5,000 went jointly to Roche Diagnostics and Sartorius Stedim Italy. For the jury, this proposal represented the best combination of technical innovation and process simplification. Second place was awarded to WILCO for their project "Automated visual inspection for small scale production", while third place went to KyooBe Tech for their project "eFIT Platform – a ground-breaking Solution for Pathogen Inactivation in Vaccine Production".
To find out further details about the projects, please select below:
- Production of Small-Volume Batches using the Low Pressure Fluid Transfer System „Sartophague" - Roche Diagnostics and Sartorius Stedim Italy
- Automated visual inspection for small scale production - WILCO
- eFIT Platform – a ground-breaking Solution for Pathogen Inactivation in Vaccine Production - KyooBe Tech
The Professor Wallhäußer Innovation Award Committee
The Steering Committee of the GMP PharmaCongress & PharmaTechnica selects the award winners from the proposals submitted and its own research. The members are:
- Dr Friedrich Haefele, formerly Boehringer Ingelheim
- Dr Sabine Hauck, dequra pharma consult
- Dr Burkart Gödde, Roche Diagnostics
- Johannes Krämer, CSL Behring
- Gerald Mathe, PPT
- Dr. Christoph Prinz, BioNTech
- Dr Ingrid Walther, Pharma Consulting Walther
- Jörg Zimmermann, Vetter Pharma-Fertigung
As well as from Concept Heidelberg: Axel Schroeder, Dr Andreas Mangel, Dr Robert Eicher, Dr Andrea Kühn-Hebecker, Oliver Schmidt.