The liquid handling systems market is anticipated to witness substantial growth by 2027 owing to the growing focus on R&D and clinical trials across the globe. Additionally, soaring demand for Covid-19 vaccines is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period.

Over the past few years, R&D in drug discoveries has become a fast-paced segment in the healthcare industry due to increasing numbers of chronic and infectious diseases globally. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw many laboratories leveraging PCR diagnostic techniques to curb the spread of the virus.

This upsurge in demand pushed many key industry players to adopt more technologically advanced automated PCR liquid handling systems. Subsequently, laboratories worldwide recorded several technological advancements in this segment aimed at producing accurate and timely results. For instance, in January 2020, Gilson Inc., a leading manufacturer in the liquid handling space, announced various enhancements to its popular PIPETMAX automated pipetting technology, which were intended to further improve throughput and streamline operations.

The liquid handling systems market has been bifurcated based on device type, product, application, end-use, and region. The device type sub-segment has further been divided into manual, electronic, and automated.

In 2020, the automated sub-segment was valued at around USD 797 million and is estimated to expand at a CAGR of over 6.9% through the projected period. Automated liquid handling systems have been shown to provide highly accurate and efficient outcomes, which is slated to fuel segmental growth over the following years.

By product, the liquid handling systems market has been bifurcated into pipettes, dispensers, burettes, automated workstation, microplate readers, consumables, and others. The burettes sub-segment exceeded a valuation of USD 130 million in 2020 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of about 6.4% through the assessment timeframe. The advent of digital burettes that help in conducting highly accurate and precise titrations, along with instant completion of reactions, is likely to bolster segmental adoption.

From the application perspective, the market has been segregated into drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, cancer and genomics research, and others. In 2020, the drug discovery sub-segment was valued at over USD 1,045 million and is anticipated to grow at above 6.8% CAGR over the forecast timeline. Surging R&D expenditure in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sectors, coupled with the escalating burden of diseases worldwide, is expected to support segmental demand.

With respect to end-use, the liquid handling systems market has been categorized into diagnostic centers, pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry, research and academic institutes, and others. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry sub-segment size surpassed USD 1,131 million in 2020 and is foreseen to observe steady growth at a CAGR of about 6.8% over the study timeframe. Government initiatives to revolutionize the drug regulatory pathway and improve reimbursement policies are speculated to drive segmental expansion.

In the regional landscape, the Middle East and Africa liquid handling systems market attained a valuation of more than USD 147.9 million in 2020. This segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 6.7% over the analysis period. Extensive adoption of the automated liquid handling technology in research facilities, along with the growing concentration of research institutes across MEA, is likely to stimulate regional market adoption over the forthcoming years.