1. The Chemistry Growth Partnership (CGP) and The Medicines Manufacturing Industry
Partnership (MMIP): Opportunities for Collaboration
Representatives of the Supply Chains Working Group of the CGP met in London in October
with representatives from the MMIP. The purpose of the workshop was to share
information about the priorities for both industry sectors (chemicals and pharmaceutical),
and to identify opportunities for the sectors to work together to generate added value for
the UK economy by creating and securing the relevant manufacturing capacity in the UK.
The CGP’s SC Working Group has decided to focus its resource initially on the Automotive
and Pharmaceutical industries, primarily due to their relative importance to the UK
economy in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA), but also due to their growth and investment
projections, combined with a high degree of innovation in product development and
manufacturing technology. There is an important inter-dependence between those industry
sectors and the chemical industry, as well as significant scope for all 3 industry sectors to
increase their share of UK-manufactured output.
The MMIP, like the CGP, has a number of work streams. One key focus area for the MMIP is
the development of Advanced Therapies (gene & cell therapy) in the UK, backed up by the
necessary Skills and supported by the right regulatory landscape. Additionally, the trend
towards continuous manufacturing will enable the timescales for technology transfers to be
reduced. The MMIP has also been working on a Technology Roadmap, which is due to be
published early in 2017.
During the workshop a number of opportunities were identified for closer collaboration
between the chemicals / materials industry and the pharmaceuticals industry, each of which
addresses a supply chain opportunity for UK manufacturing, for example:
 Supply Chain integration and closer collaboration across all aspects of the supply of
small molecules
 Supply of chemicals / materials in flexible, modular manufacturing units (including,
perhaps, single-use, disposable vessels) with quick turnaround capability
 Closer collaboration between suppliers of chemicals / materials and their customers
in the pharma industry in terms of sharing analytical data on particle properties and
the impacts of their raw materials on the pharma manufacturing process; in addition,
analytical methodology will need to be developed to support the move towards
continuous manufacturing
 Developments in the Biologics supply chain (incl. Analytics & Metrology)
 Novel materials and design solutions for Medical Packaging and Medical Devices (incl.
self-indicating, self-cleaning materials; innovations such as real-time reporting, smart
labels, anti-tamper solutions, etc.)
 Innovations in cleaning, sterilisation, biocides, disinfectants and detergents (eg: self-
indicating materials which show bacterial presence)
 New Supply Chain opportunities arising from the REACH regulations which may
transpire as a result of the UK leaving the European Union

2. The CGP and the MMIP will work together to prioritise these themes and to deliver the
capacity and capability to take advantage of these opportunities for UK manufacturing.
Philip Robinson
Manager, Supply Chains Working Group (Chemistry Growth Partnership)
December, 2016