EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber-physical systems for Medicines Development and Manufacturing (CEDAR)

Pharmaceutical R&D is a powerhouse in the UK, valued at £4.7 billion in 2019, equivalent to nearly a fifth of all R&D spending by industry across the UK economy. Projections indicate that it will generate an impressive £45 billion for the broader economy in the next 30 years from the 2019 R&D investment alone. However, it faces a significant skills gap, with traditional doctoral training programs failing to adequately prepare graduates for the dynamic and diverse demands of the industry. Research has tended to focus on empirical product development or specific process operations, leaving graduates unprepared to innovate in dynamic, multifunctional teams and explore diverse challenges, roles and career paths. This limitation not only hinders their potential but also stalls industry progress. Having a multi-skilled workforce is of paramount importance to accelerate sustainable medicine development and the introduction of ground-breaking patient-centric medicines. These elements are not only vital for enhancing the competitive edge of pharmaceutical manufacturing in the UK but also for guaranteeing that the future pharmaceutical industry is sustainable, resilient and human-centric - key pillars of the Industry 5.0 transformation.

CEDAR will address this critical need by training 90 future leaders with multidisciplinary skills that combine pharmaceutical science and engineering with AI, data analytics, and robotics. CEDAR employs a cohort-based approach to equip graduates not only with technical proficiency but also with skills in leadership, collaboration, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and industrial and regulatory expertise. This well-rounded skill set will position them to thrive in modern, project-driven, cross-functional teams and therefore create excellent career opportunities.

CEDAR's research projects aim to provide a digital, and advanced processing toolbox that covers the entire system from drug particle creation to precise prediction of their performance in the body. This will be achieved through the development and exploitation of digitally-enabled platform technologies - cyber-physical systems (CPS). These emerging technologies are crucial for accelerating drug development, particularly for emerging medicines like nanomedicines, peptides, and oligonucleotides where material sparing approaches are key and where patient-centricity is paramount. Recognising the transformative potential of CPS in the pharmaceutical industry, CEDAR's graduates will contribute innovative CPS solutions and pioneering methods that promise to revolutionise how future medicines are developed and manufactured.

CEDAR draws upon the expertise of an internationally-leading, multidisciplinary team spanning four universities, working in conjunction with industry partners and non-profit organisations. With access to state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated operational support, CEDAR is exceptionally well-placed to address the skills gap and deliver the transformative research needed to drive the pharmaceutical industry towards sustainability, resilience, and human-centricity and deliver wider societal, economic and environmental benefit for all.