iPHARMA investment of £11.7m to boost medicines innovation in Northern Ireland

September 30, 2026 The Belfast Desk 0 Comments

iPHARMA investment: A £11.7 million investment in iPHARMA will bring together Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University to help pharmaceutical businesses develop new products and move them towards market.

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald with university representatives at the iPHARMA investment announcement — Pictured (L-R) are Professor Helen McCarthy, Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser, Professor Liam Maguire, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at Ulster University, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor at Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and iPHARMA Lead and Professor Chris McConville, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at Ulster University and Deputy Lead for iPHARMA. Credit: Department for the Economy

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald announced the funding on Wednesday, 30 September, saying the project would strengthen Northern Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector and support investment, productivity and jobs.

The universities will provide businesses with specialist facilities and expertise to support the development, scaling and manufacture of innovative pharmaceutical products.

iPHARMA investment is first project in £30m corridor allocation

The funding comes from UK Research and Innovation’s Local Innovation Partnerships Fund and is the first project announced from the £30 million allocation to the Belfast-Derry Innovation Corridor.

That wider allocation is intended to support the development and expansion of innovation clusters with strong growth potential.

The £11.7 million for iPHARMA forms part of the corridor’s £30 million allocation. The project was approved by a local innovation panel comprising representatives from academia, industry and government.

Across the UK, the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is a £500 million programme designed to build on regional strengths, encourage collaboration and attract further public and private investment.

Queen’s and Ulster combine pharmaceutical expertise

Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University will jointly deliver iPHARMA, bringing together complementary expertise to support businesses as they develop innovative medicines.

Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s, will lead the project. Professor Chris McConville, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at Ulster University, will serve as deputy lead.

The partnership will combine expertise in advanced formulation and manufacturing with digital technologies, translational pharmaceutics, pharmacology and clinical translation.

Together, those capabilities are intended to help companies make better decisions earlier in development, reduce technical and manufacturing risks, and move promising medicines towards clinical use more efficiently.

Professor McConville said the ambition was to shorten the journey from pharmaceutical innovation to the clinic while strengthening the skills, facilities and industry partnerships needed to establish Northern Ireland as a leading location for innovative medicines.

Helping research become commercially viable products

A central aim of iPHARMA is to help businesses turn research and promising ideas into products that can be manufactured and brought to market.

Access to specialist facilities and expertise is expected to help companies overcome barriers when moving from development to production at a larger scale.

Dr Archibald said the investment would help turn innovative ideas into commercially viable products, accelerate their progress towards market and open up further opportunities for investment and growth.

She said the project would build on Northern Ireland’s strengths in life and health sciences, improve productivity and support the creation of more good jobs.

Professor Andrews said Northern Ireland already had internationally recognised strengths in pharmaceutical science, advanced manufacturing and health innovation. The challenge, he said, was to translate those strengths more consistently into commercial success.

Ambitions for jobs, exports and economic growth

The project’s ambitions include creating more high-value jobs, attracting investment, growing exports and improving outcomes for patients.

Professor Andrews said the support offered through iPHARMA would help reduce technical risk and shorten routes to market, allowing businesses to retain more of the value generated by innovation in Northern Ireland.

The partnership also aims to strengthen the sector’s contribution to sustainable economic growth and the UK’s wider life sciences ambitions.

UKRI Chief Executive Professor Sir Ian Chapman said the investment would support the translation of research into practical applications, encourage collaboration with industry and drive economic growth.

The announcement did not specify a job creation target or delivery timetable. The expected economic benefits will depend on how the project helps businesses develop, manufacture and commercialise new pharmaceutical products.