Archibald announces £11.7m boost for pharmaceutical innovation
Date published:
A £11.7million investment to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation and help businesses bring new products to market has been announced by Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald.
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:
- Photo caption: Pictured (L-R) are Professor Helen McCarthy, Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser, Professor Liam Maguire, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at Ulster University, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor at Queen's University Belfast, Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and iPHARMA Lead and Professor Chris McConville, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at Ulster University and Deputy Lead for iPHARMA.
- LIPF is a flagship UK government programme, delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), investing £500 million 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.
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