Medicines
The medicines sector is characterised by a few large pharmaceutical companies and a large number of SME biotech companies.
Medicines
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Support for companies of all sizes is provided by the Health Team across the sector but particularly linked with the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and advanced therapeutics. Members of the Health Team are closely aligned with the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership and the Bioindustry Association.
Innovate UK Business Connect also organises the Medicines Manufacturing Challenge Community. Its core goal is to accelerate the outcomes from the medicines manufacturing ISCF Challenge which has seen £146m invested in different projects, including the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre and Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres.
Related Opportunities
PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy): 2025 Antibacterial Therapeutics
Opens: 01/10/2025 Closes: 05/11/2025
Up to £1 million per project for early-stage, novel, antibacterial therapeutics seeking to treat Gram-negative bacterial infections with high AMR burden.
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Innovation Exchange challenge: Addiction Healthcare Goals - Catalysing Innovation
Opens: 22/09/2025 Closes: 17/10/2025
Aiming to support innovative pharmaceutical and MedTech tools and approaches for improving treatment outcomes, enhancing recovery and reducing drug and alcohol related harm.
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Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF): Expression of Interest
EOIs accepted on a rolling basis; quarterly assessments
Capital grants to support investments over £8m in the manufacture of human medicines, medical diagnostics and medtech products; assessed quarterly
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Related Events and Recordings
Related News
07/03/2025
Innovate UK championing sustainable innovations in medicines manufacturing
Innovate UK’s Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation programme (SMMIP) focuses on industry-led innovation towards more sustainable medicines manufacturing in the UK.
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24/07/2024
£3.2m funding awarded to advance early-stage healthcare innovation
Thirty-three companies, which took part in Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst pilot accelerators, have been awarded funding to further develop their innovative projects.
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Related programmes
Transforming Medicines Manufacturing
Innovate UK’s Transforming Medicines Manufacturing programme aims to drive the de-risking and adoption of highly innovative flexible, agile and scalable manufacturing technologies through a culture of collaboration that will drive the growth of this critically important manufacturing sector.
Biomedical Catalyst
Accelerating the translation of innovative ideas and discoveries into healthcare solutions that improve lives. The Biomedical Catalyst transforms innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses. It delivers sector growth, de-risks innovation and gets companies investment ready.
Medimap: End-to-end medicines supply chain map
Medimap is a new interactive reference tool for the UK medicines sector, mapping and categorising over 3,000 sites of organisations engaged in or supporting the end-to-end supply chain for medicines.