CPI opens £88 million manufacturing innovation centre

The UK-based Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has opened its £88 million Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, to help accelerate medicine development by focusing on small molecule and fine chemical manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing.

CPI forecasts that the centre will generate £200 million in advanced technologies over the first 5 years, creating over 100 high-value jobs.

The purpose of CPI’s £88 million facility

The centre is a collaboration between CPI and 24 partner organisations across the pharma sector, business, academia and government agencies. The facility is part of CPI’s series of ​‘Grand Challenges’, which follow the UK Life Sciences Strategy roadmap.

Dave Tudor, Managing Director of Medicines Manufacturing, Biologics and Quality at CPI explained: “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.

Tudor added: “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.”

CPI states the plant is fully Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant with regulatory requirements for the development of new technologies. These means the manufacturing processes will offer greater productivity, reduced cost of drug development, greater compliance and a reduction in carbon footprint.

Investors of the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre

In addition to CPI, the centre’s founding partners include: AstraZeneca and GSK; the University of Strathclyde as strategic research partner and government agencies UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Scottish Enterprise.

Funding also was awarded by Pfizer, Novartis and Alnylam as well as Siemens and Applied Materials. Atos, a digital transformation provider for pharma manufacturing is the latest to invest in the facility.

“[as a founding partner], GSK… look forward to the centre helping to benefit the industry through technology solutions that lead to supply chain efficiencies and resilience, along with new solutions to enhance sustainable manufacturing,” concluded Andy Ross, Vice-President and Head of Internal Biopharm and Steriles Manufacturing at GSK.