A £11.7million investment to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation
and help businesses bring new products to market has been
announced by Economy Minister Dr .
The funding comes from UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Local
Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) and is the first project
announced from the £30million allocation to the Belfast-Derry
Innovation Corridor.
Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University will deliver
iPHARMA, a new project providing businesses with specialist
facilities and expertise to support the development and
manufacture of innovative pharmaceutical products.
Minister Archibald said: This £11.7million investment will
strengthen our pharmaceutical sector by helping turn innovative
ideas into commercially viable products.
By giving businesses access to specialist expertise and
facilities, iPHARMA will help overcome barriers to scale-up,
accelerate new products towards market and unlock further
opportunities for investment and growth.
As the first project announced through the Belfast-Derry
Innovation Corridor's Local Innovation Partnerships Fund
allocation, it will build on our strengths in life and health
sciences, boost productivity and support the creation of more
good jobs.
UKRI Chief Executive Professor Sir Ian Chapman said: This is an
important and significant investment in Northern Ireland's
innovation ecosystem. Working with key partners in each place,
UKRI's Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is supporting
innovation across the UK, to advance knowledge, improve lives and
drive growth, by building on local strengths and knowledge. The
opportunities iPHARMA will unlock will enable research
translation, collaborations with industry and drive economic
growth.
Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at
Queen's University Belfast and iPHARMA Lead, said: Northern
Ireland has internationally recognised strengths in
pharmaceutical science, advanced manufacturing and health
innovation. Our ambition must be to translate those strengths
more consistently into commercial success: creating more
high-value jobs, attracting investment, growing exports and
improving outcomes for patients.
iPHARMA will provide specialist facilities, expertise and
translational support needed to develop, scale and manufacture
innovative medicines. In doing so, it will reduce technical risk,
shorten routes to market and help close the productivity gap by
enabling businesses to capture more value from innovation here in
Northern Ireland.
This investment is a clear statement of intent. It supports our
ambition to build a globally competitive, innovation-led life and
health sciences sector, one that is a driver of sustainable
economic growth across Northern Ireland and makes a meaningful
contribution to the UK's wider life sciences ambition.
Professor Chris McConville, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at
Ulster University and Deputy Lead for iPHARMA, said: iPHARMA
brings together complementary expertise across Ulster University
and Queen's University Belfast to create an integrated pathway
for pharmaceutical innovation in Northern Ireland. By combining
advanced formulation and manufacturing with digital technologies,
translational pharmaceutics, pharmacology and clinical
translation, we can help companies de-risk manufacturing and
development, make better decisions earlier and move promising
medicines towards patients more efficiently.
Ultimately, our ambition is to shorten the journey from promising
pharmaceutical innovation to the clinic, while building the
capability, skills and industry partnerships needed to establish
Northern Ireland as a leading location for the development of
innovative medicines.
Notes to editors:
- LIPF is a flagship UK government programme, delivered through
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), investing £500million to
strengthen innovation economies across the UK. It is a
central pillar of the government's commitment to achieve growth
in every postcode. It brings together local leaders, businesses,
and research organisations to build on regional strengths to
create new jobs, drive innovation-led productivity, and attract
further public and private investment into communities across the
UK.
- The Belfast-Derry Innovation Corridor has been awarded
£30million through UKRI's Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to
support the development and scaling of high-potential innovation
clusters.
- The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is a £500million UKRI
programme designed to strengthen regional innovation economies.
- iPHARMA is led by a partnership between Queen's University
Belfast and Ulster University.
- The project was approved by the local LIPF Innovation Panel,
comprising representatives from academia, industry and
government.
- About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)- Its mission is to
advance knowledge, to improve lives and to deliver
growth. They are the largest public funder of research and
innovation in the UK, with an annual budget of around £9bn. It is
composed of seven disciplinary research councils, Innovate UK and
Research England. www.ukri.org
