MediForge

Industry 5.0 medicines manufacturing research hub

MediForge is a major research programme to revolutionise the pharmaceutical landscape with its Industry 5.0 manufacturing system paradigm for sustainable, resilient, and human-centric medicines manufacture.

The Challenge

Drug discovery is accelerating. Manufacturing hasn’t kept pace.

While drug discovery is becoming faster and more data-driven, pharmaceutical manufacturing still struggles with flexibility, cost and sustainability. MediForge exists to close that gap.

  • Traditional Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) processes can be time-consuming, costly and fragmented, slowing the journey from scientific discovery to patient access.

  • Global medicines supply chains face increasing disruption and uncertainty, highlighting the need for more resilient, agile and locally responsive manufacturing systems.

  • The pharmaceutical industry is under growing pressure to reduce waste, energy consumption and emissions while maintaining product quality and regulatory compliance.

  • As digital technologies transform medicines manufacturing, there is an increasing need for a workforce equipped with skills in data, automation, AI and advanced manufacturing.

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The Research Framework

We’re working across five connected platforms to create one end-to-end system.

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Learn

Cyber Physical Research Infrastructure linking material properties, processes and product attributes.

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Model

Real-time digital twin of end-to-end CMC processes, optimising quality and sustainability.

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Make

Integrated end-to-end manufacturing test bed validating quality, sustainability and resilience.

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Adapt

Living Lab ecosystem enabling collaborative development, testing and scale-up of future medicines manufacturing.

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Lead

Driving international leadership in Industry 5.0 and the digital transformation of medicines manufacturing.

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Impact

What MediForge is built to deliver:

  1. Faster access to medicines

  2. Supply chain resilience

  3. Net zero manufacturing

  4. Future workforce

Get involved

MediForge brings together industry, academia and stakeholders from across the medicines manufacturing ecosystem to drive innovation and create real-world impact.

Industry

Collaborate with leading researchers to develop, test and accelerate the adoption of next-generation medicines manufacturing technologies.

Academia

Join a multidisciplinary research network tackling major challenges in digital and sustainable medicines manufacturing.

Contact us

Policy and Regulatory Stakeholders

Gain insight into emerging technologies and help shape future policy and regulatory approaches for medicines manufacturing.

Latest news

Featured
Accelerating innovation: How MediForge is transforming the end-to-end process of medicines development
Accelerating innovation: How MediForge is transforming the end-to-end process of medicines development

The way medicines are developed and made is changing. While drug discovery has become faster, smarter and increasingly data-driven, pharmaceutical manufacturing still faces challenges in flexibility, scalability and efficiency. Bridging this gap between scientific discovery and industrial application is at the heart of CMAC’s mission.

Read more →

Funders and partners

MediForge is a seven-year, £11m programme funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a division of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through their Manufacturing Hubs for a Sustainable Future Call 2.

The programme has been co-created in collaboration with partners at the Glasgow School of Art, Imperial College London, University of Leeds, University of Sheffieldand theUniversity of Strathclyde. It is also supported by a global consortium of industry partners including Applied Materials, AstraZeneca, Bruker, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC),Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), Chiesi, Clairet Scientific Ltd., DigiM, Lilly, M-Star Simulators, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Siemens, Takeda, Technobis,UCB, and ULab.

UKRI logo with text 'Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council'

What MediForge is building

The MediForge Living Lab is an open, collaborative environment where academia, industry, regulators and healthcare partners can work together to co-create, test and refine new processes, technologies and products.

Scientists working in a modern laboratory with digital screens showing molecular models and structures, test tubes, lab equipment, and a robotic arm, indicating research in chemistry or nanotechnology.

To date, the Living Lab has:

  • Embedded agile ways of working across the research team

  • Launched MediForge-specific onboarding and continuing professional development through CMAC SkillsFactory

  • Established a researcher community to share insights and learning

  • Developed human-centred digital tools in collaboration with the Glasgow School of Art

These tools include:

  • A Crystallisation Screening CMC DataFactory augmented reality demonstrator

  • An updated Tableting CMC DataFactory augmented reality demonstrator

  • A prototype virtual AI lab assistant

The Living Lab will continue to expand with the launch of an Industry 5.0 Forum, beginning with a community-led sustainability discussion.

Why MediForge matters

Supporting more efficient and sustainable approaches to medicines development and manufacture

The pharmaceutical sector faces growing pressures from rising healthcare demand, increasingly complex supply chains, sustainability challenges, and the need to deliver innovative medicines to patients faster than ever before.

MediForge is helping to address these challenges by supporting more efficient, sustainable and resilient approaches to medicines development and manufacturing.

Through its Industry 5.0 approach, MediForge aims to deliver:

Affordable, sustainable healthcare

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Faster access to medicine

Reducing barriers between scientific discovery and industrial implementation to help bring innovations to patients faster.

An assortment of blister packs containing various pills, capsules, and tablets in different colors, shapes, and sizes scattered on a flat surface.

Resilient supply chains

Creating more agile, connected and adaptable manufacturing systems capable of responding to changing healthcare needs.

Group of scientists or researchers working together in a laboratory, wearing white lab coats, with lab equipment, test tubes, and chemicals around them.

Net Zero Manufacturing

Embedding sustainability into medicines development and manufacturing through data-driven decision making and resource-efficient processes

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Future workforce

Supporting more efficient and sustainable approaches to medicines development and manufacture

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