CPI’s receives infrastructure investment to support IB

The new capability will support the commercialisation of innovations from small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in three main areas; Fermentation, Product Isolation and Analytics. All equipment is scaled and modelled to reflect the existing pilot plant assets at CPI’s National Industrial Biotechnology Facility to provide greater confidence and mitigate the risks associated with taking innovations from the laboratory to commercial operation. The addition of multiple small scale reactors (mL to 1L) within CPI fermentation lab will allow CPI to perform characterisation studies of industrial microbes with a greater efficiency, accuracy and higher throughput.

Isolating products following industrial biotechnology processes can contribute up to 70% of production costs. Being able to design and test this on scaled down equipment will enable full process design and testing with reduced investment needs.

Analytics investment will give CPI the ability to collect and assess data which is central to being able to perform process development. These assets expand the capacity of the analytical facility to support the new fermentation and product isolation capability.

This award will allow CPI to significantly upgrade capability to de-risk process development and scale-up/down projects. The new equipment will be installed during 2017 and provide employment for 3 full time research posts to support this new state-of-the-art equipment.

Kris Wadrop, Director of Industrial Biotechnology and Biorefining at CPI commented ‘”This investment validates the continued development of the UK Bioeconomy Strategy and CPI’s central position to support its implementation. Combining this investment with CPI’s existing skills, knowledge and capability provides a fantastic launchpad for companies to implement their Industrial Biotechnology strategies”

Welcoming the announcement, Councillor Sue Jeffrey, Tees Valley Combined Authority Board Member and Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: ​“This is fantastic news, both for CPI itself and Tees Valley as a whole. It will further support CPI and its clients to invest in new products, creating jobs, boosting the local economy and cementing Tees Valley’s place at the heart of innovation.”

Notes to Editor

About ERDF The project is receiving up to) £537,666 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014 – 2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://​www​.gov​.uk/​e​u​r​o​p​e​a​n​-​g​r​o​w​t​h​-​f​u​nding.

About CPI The Centre for Process Innovation is a UK-based technology innovation centre and part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. We use applied knowledge in science and engineering combined with state of the art development facilities to enable our clients to develop, prove, prototype and scale up the next generation of products and processes. Our open innovation model enables clients to develop products and prove processes with minimal risk. We provide assets and expertise so our customers can demonstrate the process before investing substantial amounts of money in capital equipment and training. New products and processes can be shown to be feasible; on paper, in the lab and in the plant before being manufactured at an industrial scale. By utilising our proven assets and expertise companies can take their products and processes to market faster. There is no down time in production as all of the process development is completed offsite and our technology transfer and engineering teams can help companies to transfer the product or process into full scale production at speed. www​.uk​-cpi​.com

About Tees Valley Combined Authority Tees Valley Combined Authority is the body that drives economic growth and job creation in the area. It focuses on economic development, transport, infrastructure, skills, business investment, housing, culture and tourism. The Combined Authority harnesses the economy-boosting powers of Tees Valley’s five local councils (Redcar & Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Darlington) and Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership to elevate partnership working between the public and private sector to create an even more effective approach to building a stronger Tees Valley. www​.teesval​ley​-ca​.gov​.uk