The funding provides a ‘significant boost to Britain’s life sciences industry.’
Croda has been awarded a £15.9 grant from the UK Government to expand it lipid systems manufacturing facility located in Staffordshire, UK. Croda is also investing £15.9 million in the expansion. The company said that the investment will significantly enhance the development of high-purity lipid systems, essential for the delivery of next generation nucleic acid drugs such as mRNA vaccines. By 2023 the facility will be able to produce lipids for around three billion vaccine doses.
Croda has said that the expansion will include building a state-of-the-art lipid system synthesis facility, and enhancing innovation and analytical laboratory capabilities at the site, which specialises in the production of lipids currently used in a number of covid-19 mRNA vaccines. The investment will also expand the range of speciality lipids produced, with the number of applications for lipid systems expected to expand rapidly as the platform is developed through clinical trials to commercial launches of new RNA-based applications; such as flu vaccines and cancer treatments.
The Government added that the funding announcement marked the launch of the £1.4 billion Global Britain Investment Fund, originally set out in last autumn’s Budget. The Fund provides grant support to encourage internationally mobile companies to invest in the UK’s critical and most innovative industries; covering life sciences, automotive and offshore wind. The Fund includes £354 million for UK life sciences.
Commenting on the Croda investment, the Government’s Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng said: ‘Not only will this funding provide a significant boost to Britain’s life sciences industry, enabling the production of an extra three billion doses domestically, but it also represents an important investment in the West Midlands’ economy as we work to onshore manufacturing to the UK.’
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