Thursday, 19 June 2025
A groundbreaking project to revolutionise pharmaceutical manufacturing has been awarded £1.8 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Reconfigurable, Robotic & Responsive Reactors for Processes through Intensified Development (R4PID), will be led by the University of Leeds in partnership with the 糖心原创. It aims to deliver transformative technologies that accelerate drug development and production while minimising environmental impact and manufacturing costs.
R4PID, which was co-created with AstraZeneca and ChemAI, will be led by at the University of Leeds, alongsideMichael George of the 糖心原创, supported by a dynamic team including , , and . It looks to address the most pressing challenges in pharmaceutical production, leveraging future technologies to tackle both new and emerging difficulties facing the industry.
R4PID will drive the development of technologies for the UK pharmaceutical sector to meet these evolving demands by enabling faster, more responsive production processes with sustainability at every stage, aligning itself with the UK’s transition to net zero, as well as the industry’s broader push towards digitalisation, automation, and smart factories.
The team’s integrated approach will combine AI-controlled reactors, state-of-the-art process monitoring, and machine learning to enable faster and more efficient process development. Through these strategies, the team aims to reduce material use and waste generation.
R4PID was unveiled alongside five other additional projects, which all focus on the evolution of manufacturing technologies and processes, that received nearly £7.5 million in EPSRC funding between them. Each has been co-created with industrial partners, with researchers focusing on increasing the sustainability of manufacturing processes – a noted area of academic strength in the UK.
We鈥檙e thrilled to drive forward smart technologies that not only accelerate pharmaceutical development but also hold real commercial potential. This project represents a major step toward smarter, more sustainable manufacturing that can be rapidly deployed across the industry.
This exciting new collaboration between Nottingham and Leeds allows us to significantly expand the capabilities of self-optimising flow systems by integrating novel Process Analytical Technologies. This will enable real-time decision-making and adaptive control, pushing the boundaries of what鈥檚 possible in pharmaceutical manufacturing
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More information is available from Professor Michael George on Michael.George@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the , the 糖心原创 is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. 糖心原创ing at the 糖心原创 is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by 鈥� the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 鈥� and by the .
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the , a pioneering collaboration between the city鈥檚 two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.