VALIDATE brought validation and quality professionals back to Dublin. Accelerating Digital Maturity was the theme of VALIDATE 2026, the two-day event that focused on sharing best practices, exploring emerging technologies, and accelerating the shift toward a data-centric, automated validation environment. Watch the recap video now to get a taste of VALIDATE 2026.
VALIDATE 2026 was the sixth conference and biggest VALIDATE we have had in the EU, with attendees from around the world coming together to share, learn, and have some fun. The event covered everything from product sessions to customer awards, and the latest updates on all things validation. Here are some of the top highlights.
Keynote reflections: AI and the future of industry
The conference was opened by Kneat CEO Eddie Ryan and kicked off with Keynote Benjamin Bargetzi, CEO of Project MindGuard, a Swiss neuroscientist, psychologist, bestseller author, and tech entrepreneur. He encouraged organizations to use AI not as a replacement for human expertise, but as an intelligent sparring partner — helping to democratize innovation and accelerate the delivery of life-saving treatments. It left the door open for more meaningful discussions on the impact of AI and the future of the industry.
Kneat product sessions showcasing the future of validation
This year’s product sessions were bigger and more impactful than ever with a focus on product innovations and upcoming releases.
The Entities & CSV session covered how Kneat’s Entity Data Model supports modern CSV/CSA practices through connected, reusable validation data. The demo highlighted risk-based validation workflows, automated traceability, centralized data management, and upcoming AI-enabled and CSA-focused enhancements designed to improve efficiency, governance, and compliance.
The session on eLogbooks explored how Kneat’s digital logbooks help replace paper-based GxP processes with streamlined, compliant workflows. Through customer examples and live demos, the team demonstrated measurable improvements in efficiency, error reduction, compliance, and operational cost savings across regulated environments.
The AI Product Roadmap revealed how AI is being embedded into validation workflows, what’s coming next, and Kneat’s long-term vision for intelligent validation.
Real-world digital transformation: Customer success stories
VALIDATE is all about community learning and sharing, and this year’s sessions didn’t disappoint. The conference showcased how our customers are successfully overcoming barriers and advancing digital maturity. Here is a high-level overview of 9 topics discussed at VALIDATE.
1. How digital Validation was a key enabler to MSD ONECQV
Dave O’Connor and Yvonne Owens showcased how MSD’s OneCQV strategy unifies C&Q and CSV into a single global lifecycle approach across manufacturing sites. Digital validation, enabled by Kneat Gx, reduces manual documentation effort, improves compliance, and drives major efficiency gains in capital projects.
2. Transforming pharma manufacturing: Sanofi’s journey towards digital excellence in the pharma 4.0 era
Aine Fleming presented its shift toward an AI-enabled, Pharma 4.0 manufacturing model supported by major investment in smart facilities. The focus is on modularity, AI, and sustainability to accelerate time-to-market and improve operational resilience.
3. Practical use of Kneat to standardize and simplify validation across global MODA-ES deployments at Lonza
Fokke Zijlstra shared lessons from a complex MES upgrade at Lonza involving large-scale data and tight downtime constraints. Digital validation tools enabled structured execution, traceability, and reduced operational risk.
4. Pfizer’s Kneat global deployment journey
Gisele Fahmi and Vasilios Tsatsaias outlined Pfizer’s efforts to standardize digital validation across its global network to improve consistency and compliance. The approach focused on building a connected framework that supports scalability and efficiency across sites.
5. Driving cost reduction for C&Q capital projects with digital validation
Patrick Mullin of Sanofi highlighted how digital validation improves cost control and efficiency in capital project C&Q activities. Using data-driven planning and execution tools like Kneat Gx, Sanofi can reduce delays, optimize resources, and improve project predictability.
6. How Alcon uses Kneat as a catalyst for harmonization
Nathan Raschke and Daniel Weingand demonstrated how Alcon harmonized global lab qualification processes. The result was a standardized workflow that significantly improved efficiency and reduced execution time across sites.
7. Digital validation at Eli Lilly
Jeff Denault shared how Eli Lilly is replacing paper-based AIQ with a global digital validation platform supporting reusable tests and automated workflows. This enables faster qualification, improved compliance, and real-time multi-site visibility.
8. Data integration platform: Implementation and validation challenges
Grzegorz Janczewski shared how Rezon Bio implemented and validated a GAMP 5–aligned data integration platform to enable digital operations, strengthen data integrity, and prepare for AI-driven manufacturing.
9. Smart commissioning in a pharma 4.0 smart factory: A digital CQV/CSV ecosystem
Darren Crowe of AstraZeneca shared how Smart Factory principles are transforming CQV and CSV through integrated digital ecosystems. Technologies like digital twins, virtual commissioning, and historians enable earlier testing, better traceability, and stronger alignment with CSA and ASTM E2500 principles.
Customer innovation and partner awards
The second Customer Innovation Awards took place to celebrate Kneat customers who have leveraged Kneat Gx in unique, creative, and potentially groundbreaking ways to enhance and optimize their validation processes. This award recognizes implementations that have not only improved validation workflows but have also unlocked significant business value.
The three finalists at this year’s VALIDATE: Pfizer, Alcon, and Colgate-Palmolive. The conference attendees took to the polls and after a close race, the winner was Pfizer!
Carly Cox, Senior Manager Manufacturing Intelligence & Technology Transformation in the Value Delivery, Process Modelling and Informatics at Pfizer transformed Kneat deployments from slow, site-specific implementations into a harmonized global rollout model. Standardized templates, shared workspaces, and improved vendor access controls enabled a 95% reduction in deployment time and expanded adoption to more than 90% of manufacturing sites.
Cesar Tavarez, Validation Engineer at Alcon, showcased Alcon’s migration from another digital validation provider to Kneat, executed with precision across a global manufacturing environment. Alcon’s key innovation was a risk-based sampling approach that reduced verification from thousands of records to just 30 with zero defects required, dramatically streamlining migration validation while maintaining compliance.
Warren Ware, Validation Engineer at Colgate Palmolive, revealed how his team scaled its Kneat Gx workspace functionality globally for plant calibration teams at Colgate-Palmolive. They replaced fragmented spreadsheets and paper calibration certificates with a centralized Kneat solution managing 650+ equipment records. Automated templates and data population eliminated manual entry, improved compliance visibility, and created a scalable model for global deployment.
The standard of work on display from all the finalists was truly top-notch.
Kneat’s partners were also honored for their dedication to helping Kneat customers succeed. A big congratulations to PM Group and No Deviation, by EFOR, the winners of this year’s Parter Awards, for helping Kneat flourish.
Croke Park excitement
The conference closed out for the day, but the buzz didn’t stop. The buses loaded up and took everyone to the iconic Croke Park. Truly something so special — a stadium tour, a gala dinner, and a flash mob of Irish dancers and live trad music. The evening captured the true spirit of connection at VALIDATE. There’s nothing quite like networking where sport, culture, and community meet in the heart of Dublin.
Thank you
The success of VALIDATE wouldn’t have been possible without the great participation of Kneat’s community of customers, partners, and validation professionals. A special shoutout goes to:
- Platinum sponsors: No deviation
- Gold sponsors: Blue Mountain, CAI, CSV Life Science Group, Ellab, PiQuP, PM Group, Verista
- Silver sponsors: Lives International
