Dozens of new high-end jobs have been created in Paisley through the opening on a £88 million medicines centre.
The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) officially opened this week. The centre is set to see major collaboration between world-leading pharmaceutical companies for the first time.
Combining innovative technology and ground-breaking ideas in pharmaceuticals, the work in Paisley will address challenges in the global medicines market.
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The centre has been developed through a unique collaboration between CPI and 23 partner organisations from across the pharma sector, business, academia, and government.
These include Strathclyde University, UK Research and Innovation and Scottish Enterprise, which contributed £16m to the project. It's expected to generate an additional £200m investment in the next five years.
Dave Tudor, director of medicines manufacturing, biologics and quality at CPI, said: “The facility we have built here in Renfrewshire is the first example of a consistent and concerted effort from the pharma industry to collaborate.
“This will be crucial to unlocking the challenges we’ve faced so far to translate research into tangible benefits that will help address unmet health needs.
“Our ‘Grand Challenge’ business model aims to bring key players together to accelerate solutions to key challenges including how we reduce waste and lower the industry’s carbon footprint through better, more efficient manufacturing processes.
“The next phase is about inviting companies into the new centre so they can benefit from the existing technologies.”
CPI leads the centre, providing skills training in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing roles for the facility’s Renfrewshire-based scientists, technicians, engineers and apprentices.
New advanced technology and manufacturing solutions developed between CPI and pharmaceutical companies based at the centre will then help the industry become more productive and sustainable, benefitting people across the globe through the development of new and improved medicines.
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said the opening of the centre and its associated jobs was a major boost for the area.
He said: “I’m delighted to see the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre open in Renfrewshire, bringing high-value jobs and an estimated £200m in advanced technology investment.
“It’s exciting to know new innovations and approaches in medicines manufacturing will be made in Renfrewshire at this one-of-a-kind centre, potentially delivering global benefits.
“It marks a key step forward in our development of AMIDS, which has already attracted £185m into Renfrewshire and continues to provide a major boost to the local, regional and Scottish
economy.”
Global pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and GSK are also among the centre’s founding partners.
Other partners include Pfizer, Novartis and Alnylam, as well as business advisers PwC, and technology leaders Siemens and Applied Materials.
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