Technology company Siemens and one of the UK’s leading innovation centres, CPI have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), committing to enhancing collaborative research into advanced manufacturing processes.

The new contract will follow on from an initial collaboration agreement that was signed in 2020, under which Siemens has provided advanced hardware and software to underpin the development of CPI’s leading Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

The enhanced partnership will allow CPI to leverage Siemens’ expertise and technology across the full range of its research portfolio, ranging from battery materials innovation and photonics to printed electronics.

The MoU was signed by both parties at Siemens Transform 2024 event at Manchester Central. The event saw industry leaders, tech experts and policymakers convene to explore the future of digital and sustainable transformation.

Eric Bennison, Sales Manager - Process at Siemens DI GB&I, said: “The UK is a hotbed for life science innovation, driven by strong ties between industry and our world-leading academic institutions. Cementing this position will require us to bridge the gap between the development of new products and their subsequent commercialisation.

“We’ve long admired CPI’s ambition to revolutionise pharmaceutical production, making collaboration with the team seem a natural choice. Our relationship has already yielded fantastic results through the continued development of the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the coming years through our expanded partnership.”

Dave Tudor, Managing Director - Pharma, HealthTech, and Quality at CPI, added: “Innovating to meet major challenges such as net zero in medicines manufacturing will have many returns both environmentally and economically. However, we’ve long maintained that achieving this will be impossible without pooling the extensive knowledge and resources of academia, technology partners and central regulatory bodies.

“Our growing partnership with Siemens is emblematic of the merits of such an approach, with the work completed at our Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre and our soon-to-be-constructed Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence, set to change the lives of patients across the world by making the latest innovations accessible for patients.”

The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre is a collaborative innovation hub that seeks to bring together industry expertise and world-leading academics to explore how digitalisation can allow manufacturers to improve their performance and reduce waste. Alongside Siemens, current industry partners include AstraZeneca GSK, Pfizer and Novartis.