Academic and translational research suffer from the lack of reproducibility of fundamental scientific findings, and the shortage of skilled workers does not improve the situation. Standardization, digitization, and automation are widely seen as saviors, yet colleges and universities struggle to convey and implement these interdisciplinary concepts effectively across departments and faculties. The causes are diverse and lie significantly in the structure: i) academic education, ii) academic funding programs, and iii) academic careers. Using the example of organoid-based drug screens, I present successes and hurdles in the digital transformation of academic research and demonstrate how the "Society for Laboratory Automation and Digitalization" is attempting to collectively dismantle or circumvent barriers in an open and community-based approach.