We were privileged to be part of two workshops at the kick-off day of the ESACT 2019 in Copenhagen, which bi-yearly bridges academia and industry specialists working in cell culture processing to provide solutions for patients. In the first workshop hosted by Sanofi Michael highlighted the importance of process models to create smart and automated digital solutions, while in the workshop hosted by Infors Michael explained the potential of soft sensors in bioprocesses. The most important presentation was given by our collaborator Harini, who presented the latest success stories of hybrid modeling in cell culture processes in front of hundreds of interested listeners.