Tech innovation catalyst CPI has opened its Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Scotland to ‘raise the bar’ in pharma manufacturing.

CPI is working alongside 23 partner organisations from pharma, government, business, and academia as part of the launch. CPI said that the centre is looking to drive sustainable manufacturing processes to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.

Scottish Enterprise has contributed £16 million to the Centre, which has a ‘Grand Challenge’ business model following the UK Life Sciences Strategy roadmap, combining ideas from the pharma and technology sectors to help tackle pressing issues.

The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre has six founding partners: pharmaceutical giants, AstraZeneca and GSK; technology innovation catalyst, CPI; strategic research partner, the University of Strathclyde; and two government agencies, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Scottish Enterprise.

Other partners that have invested in the Centre include Pfizer, Novartis and Alnylam from the pharma industry, business partner PwC, and technology leaders Siemens and Applied Materials and most recently, global digital transformation provider Atos.

The Centre is forecast to generate £200 million in advanced technologies over the first five years and will deliver a tangible impact for businesses – creating more than 100 jobs, enabling private investment, and building manufacturing assets and expertise.

Dave Tudor, Managing Director of Medicines Manufacturing, Biologics and Quality at CPI, said: “The facility we have built here in Renfrewshire is the first example of a consistent and concerted effort from the pharma industry to collaborate. This will be crucial to unlocking the challenges we’ve faced so far to translate research into tangible benefits that will help address unmet health needs.

“Our ‘Grand Challenge’ business model aims to bring key players together to accelerate solutions to some of the core issues we’ve seen across the industry. For example, we want to see a reduction in waste and the industry’s carbon footprint through better, more efficient manufacturing processes. We want to drive strong research in areas like cell and gene therapy, RNA, and monoclonal antibodies, to bring digital solutions, advanced thinking, advanced technology, and advanced supply chain mindsets to help with greater investment and growth in biological manufacture.

“The next phase is about inviting companies into the new Centre so they can benefit from the existing technologies developed as a result of our Grand Challenges.”

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The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre is a fully Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulated plant, taking on many of the start-up risks involved in drug development, such as compliance with regulatory requirements for the development of new technologies.

CPI said that partners can expect to see benefits to their manufacturing processes including greater productivity, reduced cost of drug development, greater compliance, and a reduction in carbon footprint.

UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont said: “This centre of excellence is a truly remarkable development that will push science to its limits and beyond to find medical breakthroughs with the potential to save and transform countless lives.

“The UK Government, through Innovate UK, is investing a combined £28m in the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre. This is in addition to a further £55.6m in the wider Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District through the City Deal and Levelling Up funds.

“This collaboration across multiple sectors is partnership work at its best, producing benefits both locally and for humanity worldwide.”

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