CPI Annual Review 2024/25
CPI Annual Review 2024/25
Since our inception in 2004, CPI has played a pivotal role in turning pioneering science into real-world impact. Across our translational research and innovation centres in the North East of England and Scotland, we continue to help businesses of all sizes overcome barriers, scale breakthrough ideas, and accelerate sustainable growth. Our 2024/25 Annual Review reflects on a milestone year, in which we also marked 20 years of CPI, celebrating the people, partnerships, and progress that continue to shape the UK’s innovation landscape.
Transcript
Reflections on 2024/25
From pioneering technologies to community impact, 2024/25 showcased CPI’s role as a trusted partner for innovation. Hear from our experts as they share insights from a milestone year and look ahead to what’s next.
2024/25 review
Reflecting on a milestone year of innovation and impact
The 2024/25 financial year marked a significant chapter in CPI’s story, celebrating 20 years of innovation, impact, and transformative projects.
Read more
Our emissions performance
ESG at CPI
CPI is working with Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a globally-recognised standard for assessing GHG emissions, to monitor our impact across every aspect of our operation. Using 2022 – 2023 as our baseline we can now track our progress towards decarbonisation and measure our success along the way.
Read more
Blog
Beyond the cutting edge: Why CPI Enterprises represents the next stage of CPI's evolution
For 20 years, CPI has helped shape the innovation ecosystem. And as the continued growth of CPI Enterprises shows, we’re only just getting started.
Read more
Blog
How CPI is using engineering biology to help the UK tackle global challenges
Advanced medicines, sustainable food production, and manufacturing are all made possible by engineering biology.
Read more
Blog
Innovation: What it is and how to do it
It's the lifeblood of any economy, but what are the differences between invention and innovation?
Read more
Blog
The role of innovation centres within deep tech ecosystems
How national innovation centre navigate frequent changes posed by societal and industrial challenges.
Read more
Blog
Turning 20 in style: CPI’s top moments of 2024
Explore CPI’s top moments of 2024, from healthcare breakthroughs to sustainable materials and new partnerships.
Read moreOur impact in numbers
It’s time to look back and celebrate the achievements made possible through collaboration and commitment across CPI. Building on our refined Impact Evaluation Framework, we now measure not just what we do, but the difference we make. The 2024/25 results highlight CPI’s impact across three key areas, industry support, strategic leadership, and competence development, demonstrating how our work continues to strengthen innovation and deliver value to the UK economy.
Business support activities
Products and processes developed
Products and processes to market
External learners supported
Client IP established
Advancement through TRLs
Research paper contributions
Industry regulation contributions
Thought leadership publications
Impact stories
Every collaboration tells a story of innovation with impact. We work with businesses of all sizes to turn cutting-edge ideas into real-world solutions that benefit people, places, and the planet. Explore our 2024/25 case studies below to see how CPI is helping to build a stronger, healthier, and more sustainable future.
Case study
The HISTORY Project
Delivering next-generation battery innovations to power the UK’s EV industry.
Discover more
Case study
Case Study
Continuous 2
Integrating continuous technologies for the rapid, cost-effective delivery of biotherapeutics to patients.
Discover more
Case study
Case study
Case study
Launched in 2024/25, People in Innovation: A CPI Podcast spotlights the people and partnerships behind the innovations shaping our future. In this inaugural series, titled 'CPI in conversation with', leaders from CPI and beyond explore our two decades of impact, from our founding story and strategic investments to the collaboration driving the next generation of UK manufacturing.
In this first episode of series 1, our former CEO, Nigel Perry MBE FREng, sits down with our current CEO, Frank Millar, to tell us how CPI came to be and reminisce over an incredible 20 years.
Impactful innovation take more than just great ideas - it needs strategic investment. In this episode, Hannah Wade, our Managing Director of CPI Enterprises, speaks to Daniel Peters, CEO of MarraBio, to explore how funding fuels ground-breaking advancements and drives real-world impact.
An exemplar for CPI Enterprises' drive to create impact through innovation, MarraBio is developing a platform technology to produce engineered multimeric proteins that mimic complex molecules such as human growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins.
In this episode, Dave Tudor, Managing Director of Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre at CPI, and Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, discuss the power of strategic partnerships and innovation centres in transforming UK manufacturing.
They explore the role of CPI’s Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre in driving pharmaceutical innovation, de-risking new technologies, and accelerating the development of next-generation medicines through digitalisation.
Since 2011, CPI and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVM Catapult) have been central to driving innovation and transforming UK industry. In this episode, our CEO Frank Millar speaks with Katherine Bennett, CEO of HVM Catapult, and Steve Bagshaw, Chair of HVM Catapult, about the role of Catapults in de-risking innovation, supporting businesses to scale, and strengthening regional economies.
Together, they reflect on CPI’s journey within the Catapult Network and explore how collaboration is shaping a more resilient, competitive, and innovation-led future for UK manufacturing.
Our ESG commitment
At CPI, we recognise our responsibility to society and the environment.
Our story across 20 years
As a member of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we’ve fostered innovation across a wide range of markets, from healthtech and pharma, to novel food, materials, and energy. Take a look at the timeline below to uncover the key events and significant projects that have contributed to our growth and success.
One North East's strategy for success establishes CPI as a centre of excellence
CPI becomes founding member of High Value Manufacturing Catapult
CPI launches National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
Cost-effective development of AAV regenerative medicines
View case study
CPI appoints Jennie Younger as Non-Executive Chairman
Collaboration enables robust and efficient medicines manufacturing
Find out more
CPI launches National Healthcare Photonics Centre
CPI launches venture capital and investment arm, CPI Enterprises
CPI welcomes new CEO, Frank Millar
CPI joins UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce
CPI receives investment to help fight COVID-19 variants
Collaboration develops revolutionary treatment for inflammatory bowel disease
View case study
CPI, ABHI, and Innovate UK funding programme supports HealthTech SMEs
CPI launches Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre
Colin Harrison Laboratory naming ceremony
CPI launches RNA Centre of Excellence
Wearable technology to help 50% of stroke survivors
View case study
Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence announced
Ground-breaking microbiome boost to infants' immune systems
World’s first fuel-cell-powered lighthouse
CPI launches National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
CPI launches National Printable Electronics Centre
PragmatIC Printing Ltd moves into commercial production at CPI
View case study
Consortium develops intelligent packaging for pharmaceuticals
Calysta and CPI open ground-breaking feedstock plant
View case study
Largest UK seaweed batch harvested for bioenergy production
View case study
CPI launches National Formulation Centre
LiNa Energy collaboration demonstrates next-gen battery technology
View case study
Scaling up e‑waste recycling with DEScycle
View case study
CPI launches Novel Food Innovation Centre
Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre announced
Turning rags to riches through repolymerisation
View case study
CPI plays crucial role in Rochdale-based innovation centre
Collaboration driving down cost of cultivated meat
CPI's pivotal role in making everyday products from CO2
Transforming places
We've supported hundreds of companies, helped create thousands of highly-skilled jobs, transformed industrial landscapes, and helped unlock billions for the UK economy. But we didn't achieve this on our own. Strategic partnerships with academia, government, industry and the investment community are central to our success and will continue to play a vital role as we embark on the next 20 years of our journey. Discover how we've helped transform places below.
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
National Formulation Centre
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
National Healthcare Photonics Centre
National Formulation Centre
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biocenology Facility
Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre
National Healthcare Photonics Centre
National Formulation Centre
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
RNA Centre of Excellence
Novel Food Innovation Centre
Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre
National Healthcare Photonics Centre
National Formulation Centre
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
National Printable Electronics Centre
National Industrial Biotechnology Facility
A sustainable future for pharma: Your guide to decarbonising manufacturing operations
Explore how improvements in process efficiency, digitalisation, and carbon monitoring can help reduce emissions, enhance sustainability, and move your operations closer to net zero.
Download for freeFree downloadable guide
A sustainable future for pharma: Your guide to decarbonising manufacturing operations
Explore how improvements in process efficiency, digitalisation, and carbon monitoring can help reduce emissions, enhance sustainability, and move your operations closer to net zero.