CMAC’s FLAGSHIP RESEARCH PROGRAMME
MediForge
MediForge is a seven-year, £12m Industry 5.0 research hub building the people, processes and technologies needed for sustainable, resilient, and human-centric medicines manufacture.
Funding: £12M
Duration: Sept 24 - Sept 31
Funder: EPSRC
Academic partners: 5
Industry partners: 20
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.
Slow CMC development
Traditional Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls processes are costly, fragmented and take years to optimise, delaying patient access to new medicines.
Environmental pressures
Medicine manufacturing is resource-intensive. Regulators and patients are demanding a faster transition to net zero, without compromising quality or safety.
Fragile supply chains
Global pharmaceutical supply chains are exposed to disruption and uncertainty, highlighting the need for more resilient, agile and locally responsive systems.
Workforce skills gap
The sector needs engineers and scientists fluent in digital manufacturing, AI and data science, and a pipeline to train and retain them in the UK.
Five connected platforms. One end-to-end system.
MediForge is a connected system designed so that insights from each platform feeds the next, creating a complete medicines manufacturing innovation ecosystem.
RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
PLATFORM 1
Learn
Cyber-physical research infrastructure linking material properties, processes and product attributes.
PLATFORM 2
Model
Real-time digital twin of end-to-end CMC processes, optimising quality and sustainability.
PLATFORM 3
Make
Integrated end-to-end manufacturing test bed validating quality, sustainability and resilience.
PLATFORM 4
Adapt
A collaborative Living Lab for developing, testing and scaling medicines manufacturing.
PLATFORM 5
Lead
Leading Industry 5.0 and digital transformation in medicines manufacturing.
“A quote from industry perspective”
“With its commitment to excellence and innovation, MediForge will transform the landscape of medicines manufacturing, paving the way for a more sustainable, healthier and resilient future.”
INDUSTRY EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
Monthly sessions where industry challenges become research priorities
The MediForge Industry Exchange brings together researchers and invited pharmaceutical industry partners each month for themed knowledge exchange, challenge-led workshops and collaborative innovation. Open to MediForge industry partners only.
Upcoming sessions
Exchange #4 · Online
Connecting Synthesis Development to Manufacturing: Digital Workflows from DataFactory to Test Bed.
13:00–14:30
30 Oct
Exchange #5 · Online
Title TBC
Time TBC
Nov
"The Exchange format is genuinely different — it's not a conference presentation, it's a working session. We've brought real challenges and left with real ideas."
Industry partner, MediForge Exchange Programme
Previous themes
Industry 5.0 principles | Digital CMC | Workforce skills | Regulatory innovation | Continuous manufacturing | Connected data and digital workflows
RESEARCH STORIES
The people behind the programme
Across five platforms and five partner universities, MediForge is a community of researchers, engineers and industry collaborators working on some of the most pressing challenges in medicines manufacturing.
RESEARCHER STORY · PLATFORM 4
"We built the AI assistant with researchers, not for them — that changes everything"
How a PhD student in human-computer interaction is shaping the way MediForge researchers access knowledge and make decisions at the bench.
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION · ASTRAZENECA
From challenge to capability: how an industry problem became a MediForge research priority
A case study demonstrating how the Industry Exchange Programme translates real manufacturing challenges into targeted, collaborative research.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT - GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART
Inside the XR lab: designing immersive experiences for the factory of the future
The collaboration between CMAC and The Glasgow School of Art that brought human-centred design thinking into pharmaceutical manufacturing research.
GET INVOLVED
There are several ways to engage with MediForge
Industry
Collaborate with leading researchers to develop, test and accelerate the adoption of next-generation medicines manufacturing technologies.
> Explore partnership opportunities
Academia
Join a multidisciplinary research network tackling the challenges in digital, sustainable and human-centric medicines manufacturing.
> Join the Researcher Community
Policy and regulators
Gain insight into emerging technologies and help shape future policy and regulatory approaches for medicines manufacturing.
Public and schools
Discover what medicines manufacturing looks like in the 21st century - through science festivals, school visits and interactive experiences.
> Find upcoming public events
> Explore our STEM resources
Latest news
FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
A programme built on collaboration.
MediForge is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a division of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through its Manufacturing Hubs for a Sustainable Future Call 2.
It has been co-created in collaboration with partners at Glasgow School of Art, Imperial College London, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield and the University of Strathclyde. It is also supported by a global consortium of industry partners including Applied Materials, AstraZeneca, Bruker, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), CPI, Chiesi, Clairet Scientific Ltd., DigiM, Lilly, M-Star Simulators, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Siemens, Takeda, Technobis, UCB, and ULab.
