The ambr 250™ is an automated bioreactor system for parallel fermentation or cell culture, using single-use 250 mL bioreactors controlled by an automated workstation. The system, developed with two major industrial partners, features increased fermentation volumes as well as individual bioreactor temperature and impeller control, which allows testing of a range of conditions and microbial strains to select good ones for scale-up to large-scale benchtop, stirred-tank bioreactors. The microbial bioreactors, which are independently controlled, have a cap for automated sampling and include baffles, a dual Rushton impeller, as well as all gas (O2, air, N2), liquid, and sensor connections.