ViQi wins NIIMBL Technology Innovation Tank Award

ViQi, Inc. won the Technology Innovation Award at NIIMBL’s 2026 National Meeting in Washington, D.C., after pitching its AI and imaging tools for cell-based assays. The win gives the California company added visibility and a follow-up invitation from NIIMBL’s BioInnovation Group.

Why it matters: - ViQi’s win puts a spotlight on AI-enabled tools for regulated biomanufacturing workflows. - The award could help the company build credibility with biopharma customers, partners and investors. - NIIMBL’s follow-up invitation to the BioInnovation Group may help ViQi refine implementation and scale-up plans.

What happened: - ViQi, Inc. won NIIMBL’s Technology Innovation Award at the 10th Annual NIIMBL National Meeting in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2026. - Kathy Yeung, ViQi’s CEO, presented the company’s pitch in NIIMBL’s Technology Innovation Tank competition. - ViQi was one of three organizations selected for the competition. - NIIMBL’s panel chose ViQi as the winner after evaluating technology readiness, industry value, risk profile and market potential.

The details: - ViQi develops life sciences solutions using machine learning and high-resolution imaging. - Yeung pitched ViQi’s use of predictive AI and brightfield imaging to use cells as sensors and better capture cellular phenotypes in real time inside incubators and bioreactors. - Yeung also highlighted AVIA, ViQi’s automated viral infectivity assay. - AVIA is designed to address pain points in standard infectivity assays such as plaque assays and TCID50 methods. - ViQi said the same approach can be applied to other cell-based assays. - The company says the approach can reduce consumables and hands-on time, tighten assay precision and increase throughput. - NIIMBL, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, is a public-private partnership focused on biopharmaceutical manufacturing, industry challenges and workforce development. - NIIMBL includes industry, academia, non-profits and government stakeholders. - Kelvin Lee, NIIMBL Institute Director, said the three finalist technologies could affect biopharmaceutical manufacturing and that ViQi’s presentation was selected by the panel as the winner.

Between the lines: - The award suggests biomanufacturing groups are looking beyond classic automation and toward AI tools that can make assays more reproducible and easier to standardize. - ViQi’s focus on regulated workflows is notable because adoption barriers in life sciences often center on validation, risk and operational change, not just technical performance. - NIIMBL’s invitation to BIG indicates the organization sees potential commercialization beyond the competition stage.

What’s next: - ViQi has been invited to work with NIIMBL’s BioInnovation Group for support on technology implementation. - Yeung said ViQi plans to use that access to sharpen market positioning, build a scaling strategy and prepare for a fundraising transition. - ViQi says it will continue helping customers and partners adopt AI and machine learning in regulated workflows.

The bottom line: - ViQi left NIIMBL’s innovation tank with a prize, validation from industry judges and a possible path to broader biomanufacturing adoption.