Located at the heart of the emerging Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire, the £35 million facility is set to develop next-generation pharmaceutical manufacturing processes to drive forward innovation in the medicines supply chain. 

The facility has been pioneered through a public-private collaboration between technology innovation organisation CPI, the University of Strathclyde, UK Research and Innovation, Scottish Enterprise and founding industry partners AstraZeneca and GSK. 

Following the topping out, internal fit-out of the facility will be completed in early 2022. In the first five years of its operation, the centre is expected to support over 100 jobs, both technical and non-technical, and generate £200m investment in advanced technologies. The facility aims to become an international beacon in medicines manufacturing, driving international engagement and attracting firms that do not currently have a presence in the UK. 

From early 2022, companies of all sizes will be able to visit the facility and engage in discussions around accessing the transformative technology and participating in ambitious collaborative projects to develop new pharma innovations. 

The Centre was constructed by Tilbury Douglas, formerly Interserve, with support from BakerHicks architects.

Dave Tudor, managing director of the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, Quality and Biologics, at CPI, said: ​“The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre will help the pharmaceutical industry to increase momentum in technology translation by creating partnerships, working with regulators and partnering with innovators. This will ultimately lead to a reduction in time to market, drive productivity, improve compliance and reduce the carbon footprint of medicines manufacturing.

“Ahead of the full completion of the centre in early 2022, we continue to collaborate with industry and academic partners to develop next-generation digital manufacturing technologies, bringing us closer to medicines innovation that will ultimately benefit patients.”

Paul Foley, senior project manager at Scottish Enterprise, said: ​“It’s fantastic to see the building structure completed and moving a step closer to its full opening next year. We at Scottish Enterprise are proud to have contributed £15m funding, alongside our industry expertise, to help create an excellent asset for Scotland and the UK’s pharmaceuticals industry, with the centre providing a platform for companies to collaborate, innovate and develop world-leading processes and technologies to benefit patients.”

Cameron Stewart, regional director at Tilbury Douglas, added: ​“Today marks a real construction milestone for the project and our team is looking forward to handing over the centre at full completion. We are proud to work alongside the partners involved and, along with our supply chain, we are working hard to deliver a top quality, highly technical centre which will include laboratories, ISO 8 pharmaceutical cleanrooms and GMP compliant supporting activities. We are delighted to be involved in a project that will make such a difference to the pharmaceutical industry.”