Accelerating innovation: How MediForge is transforming the end-to-end process of medicines development
The way medicines are developed is changing, and so must the way they’re made. 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.
At its epicentre is MediForge, a 7-year, £11m research programme set to revolutionise the pharmaceutical landscape with its Industry 5.0 manufacturing approach - a vision championed by the European Commission that prioritises human-centric, sustainable, and resilient production while leveraging digital and green technologies to deliver societal value beyond efficiency. As CMAC’s digital and physical testbed for continuous, digital and sustainable medicines manufacturing, MediForge is designed to bring together researchers, technology providers and manufacturers to accelerate innovation, de-risk implementation and shape the future of medicine production.
An industry with vulnerabilities
The pharmaceutical industry faces mounting challenges in delivering secure access to affordable, safe, effective and sustainable medicines - a fundamental societal need. Rising costs, fragile and inflexible global supply chains, volatile market demands and the urgent threat of climate change place unprecedented pressure on manufacturers.
At the same time, the pace of drug discovery is accelerating and new medicines are becoming increasingly complex, exposing the limitations of traditional Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) procedures. These legacy approaches are slow, inefficient and lack the flexibility needed to ensure resilience and sustainability.
The pandemic highlighted such vulnerabilities, compounding routine shortages and revealing the fragility of global supply chains, while climate change and geopolitical uncertainties added further risk. To meet these challenges and position the UK as a global leader in life sciences, the sector must adopt system-level innovations that go beyond incremental improvements.
According to the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Partnership (MMIP), £15 billion in new investments will be directed towards green, high-tech medicines manufacturing over the next decade, supporting the creation of approximately 116,000 jobs in the UK. This investment underscores the commitment to not only enhance the manufacturing landscape but also to foster economic growth and sustainability.
MediForge was created to deliver such a transformation by establishing an integrated cyber-physical infrastructure (CPRI) that enables the shift to Quality by Digital Design (QbDD) approaches across key steps in medicines development and manufacture. It's building resilience into manufacturing processes whilst addressing the need for speed, flexibility, and quality in modern medicines manufacturing.
Taking a holistic approach
Building on CMAC’s track record as a global critical mass research centre, MediForge is formed over five integrated platforms, with teams working together to deliver a unified approach to modernising CMC procedures.
P1 – Learn: Advances fundamental understanding across the entire end-to-end value chain, from drug substance synthesis to formulated drug product, using a human-centric CPRI and a connected data fabric.
P2 – Model: Creates a system-level manufacturing knowledge model with a real-time digital twin to optimise process design and selection, embedding sustainability objectives throughout.
P3 – Make: Provides a scaled-down, material-sparing test bed that validates adaptive processes and control strategies for quality, resilience and sustainability.
P4 – Adapt: Develops a diverse, multi-skilled workforce through a Living Lab environment, enabling co-creation and innovation for Industry 5.0-ready medicines manufacturing.
P5 – Global Hub: Positions CMAC as an international leader, connecting research, development and innovation ecosystems, influencing policy and standards and driving collaboration across the sector.
Together, the research undertaken across these platforms will enable faster, more resilient and sustainable medicines manufacturing, helping the UK lead globally in life sciences.
As the pharmaceutical landscape evolves toward continuous manufacturing, digitalisation and AI-driven innovation, MediForge is positioned to enable companies to embrace these trends confidently.
See MediForge in action
Curious about how CMAC is shaping the future of medicines manufacturing? Join us at our Open Days to explore CMAC’s world-class facilities, learn more about the progress of MediForge, and see firsthand how we’re driving innovation in formulation development.
It’s your chance to connect with experts, experience cutting-edge research, and discover opportunities to collaborate or get involved.
👉 Find out more and register: Open Days 2026
About MediForge
MediForge, is 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.
It has been co-created in collaboration with partners at the University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, Glasgow School of Art, and Imperial College London and is supported by a consortium of partners including AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Lilly, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB, CCDC, Bruker, NPL, Siemens and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).
