Transforming the future of sustainable medicine production
Innovate UK has announced an investment over £14 million across 29 innovative projects to help make the UK’s medicines manufacturing sector more sustainable.
The projects form part of the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme (SMMIP), delivered in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care.
SMMIP aims to transform the UK’s medicines manufacturing sector by driving innovation, adoption, investment and collaboration.
The programme will focus on developing disruptive technologies to optimise production efficiency, minimise waste and reduce emissions, aligning with global sustainability goals.
Abby Clark, Senior Manufacturing Programme Executive at BIA, said:
The UK is committed to leading the way in sustainable medicines manufacturing, investing £14 million to drive innovation, create high-skilled jobs, and strengthen its position as a life sciences place of excellence. By harnessing our strengths in research and technology, we are developing cleaner, more efficient ways to produce medicines—improving patient care, reducing environmental impact, and driving economic growth. Through collaboration between industry, academia, and research institutions, we are ensuring the UK remains a global leader in sustainable medicine manufacturing, securing a healthier future for generations to come.
Collaboration for a sustainable future
The SMMIP is funded as part of the wider 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.
It is a new joint government-industry programme to strengthen the UK’s global competitiveness in health and life sciences and drive innovation-led growth.
Enabled by up to £400 million of funding from scheme members, it is targeting investment across the UK, with initiatives in three focus areas:
- clinical trials
- health technology assessment
- manufacturing
Supporting innovation for greener medicines
Through this programme, two competitions have been delivered so far:
- the Grand Challenge: Expression of Interest (EOI)
- the Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D) competition
In total, 29 innovative projects have been awarded a combined total of over £14 million to support innovation in sustainable medicines manufacturing.
EOI competition
Innovate UK has awarded £1.3 million in seed funding to 15 projects through the EOI competition. This funding is designed to support consortium-building and the development of proposals for large-scale grand challenges in sustainable medicines manufacturing.
CR&D competition
Innovate UK has awarded £13 million to 14 transformative projects through the CR&D competition. These projects will focus on tackling environmental challenges in pharmaceutical production, including waste reduction, emissions control and energy efficiency.
Core pillars and critical enablers
Together, these projects align with the programme’s three core pillars:
- circularity: encouraging the reuse and recycling of materials within manufacturing processes
- green chemistry: developing processes that reduce the use of hazardous substances and minimise environmental impact
- productivity and resource efficiency: enhancing operational efficiency while reducing energy and resource use
As well as two critical enablers:
- regulation
- measurements, standards and data
