Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre
Scaling your battery innovations from powder to cell
How this centre can help transform battery materials technology
As industries take steps to meet net-zero targets and transition towards electrification, advanced battery materials are crucial to delivering the next generation of energy storage technologies. This will help drive demand for improved electric vehicles (EVs) and efficient energy storage on the power grid.
The Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre (AMBIC), funded by UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge and delivered by Innovate UK, is a dedicated environment to design, develop, test and commercialise new battery materials and technologies. Its unique setup provides critical capabilities bridge the gap between battery materials research and cell prototyping This includes lithium-ion, solid-state batteries (SSBs) and other alternative battery technologies.
Based CPI at NETPark, in County Durham, and at WMG in Coventry, the Centre provides access to state-of-the-art facilities and technical expertise accelerating the journey from concept to commercialisation and will help ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the global battery industry, driving sustainable solutions for a cleaner, more efficient future.
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How will this centre tackle these challenges?
By operating a Centre of Excellence with infrastructure, capability and knowhow, we’re supporting companies and academics to adopt radical and disruptive innovation in the development and manufacture of drug products based on RNA.
We envision a future of a strong and centralised UK community within drug delivery research and innovation. Through this centre of excellence, we can further foster collaboration and knowledge sharing. Drug delivery technology is crucial to advancements in vaccines and public health, so this centre is a vital asset to enable the UK to lead the charge in this hugely important area.
Our goal is to foster a dynamic ecosystem that catalyses breakthroughs in RNA-based drug development and manufacturing. In doing this, we will: help translate research activities, enable cross sector learning and knowledge transfer, and de-risk the adoption by industry providing a clear focus for inward investment to the UK whilst supporting the existing community of innovators in this vital area of research.
By pooling expertise, facilities and insight into one distributed centre of excellence we provide a single point of entry to drug delivery innovators while laying the foundation for a thriving UK community of research and development excellence.
Our leadership team
Juliana Haggerty
Head of Centre of Excellence, CPI
Dr Haggerty has worked at CPI since 2014, supporting our RNA vaccine programmes for the UK Vaccine Taskforce in 2020 and providing expert advice and due diligence on legacy activities and onshoring throughout 2021. She also sits on the Technology and Innovation committee of the UK Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership and has significant expertise in the use of public/private funding and collaborative R&D models to advance technology and innovation.
Professor Yvonne Perrie
Chair in Drug Delivery within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical sciences
Throughout her career, Professor Perrie has demonstrated a relentless commitment to advancing pharmaceutical sciences and driving innovation in drug delivery. Her contributions have not only expanded the scientific understanding of nanomedicines but also hold tremendous potential for improving patient care and treatment outcomes.
Professor Neill Liptrott
Chair in Pharmacology and Immunocompatibility, Liverpool University
Professor Liptrott is a Chair in Pharmacology and Immunocompatibility at the University of Liverpool, and his research investigates the biological interactions of complex medicines, advanced therapeutics, and biomaterials.
Professor Robin Shattock
Professor of Mucosal Infection and Immunity, Imperial College London
Professor Shattock leads a team of vaccine and immunology researchers at Imperial College London, whose work has been published in over 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts, better informing disease prevention approaches for pathogens such as HIV, chlamydia and SARS-CoV‑2.
Dr Sarah BrockBank
Lead Scientist of External Drug Discovery, Medicines Discovery Catapult
With 35 years of experience in the pharma industry, Dr Brockbank leads the strategy of Complex Medicines at Medicines Discovery Catapult. Here, she draws on internal expertise and the external environment through membership of national programmes and a portfolio of client projects, to develop and implement a core strategy for complex medicines that is responsive to the needs of this emerging area.
Projects underway
Since launching in January 2023, we’ve made significant progress with this Centre, including:
- The purchase and installation of state-of-the-art equipment across our different sites and partners, such as a high-throughput screening and characterisation capability that works with a range of analytical methods.
- Initial screening of several lipids and LNP formulations with mRNA payloads.
- The use and implementation of adaptive Design of Experiments and deep learning approaches to build predictive formulation models.
- Setting up a range of characterisation capabilities for in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo testing.
- The completion of a Stage 3 design study for new facilities to house equipment and provide greater capacity at CPI.
Our future direction will be guided by the leadership team in responding to the needs of the drug delivery community in the UK.
Regulatory requirements for nanotechnology-based RNA: a quick-start guide
This guide is a comprehensive roadmap to navigating the complex regulatory pathways for nanotechnology-based RNA vaccines and therapeutics, addressing the need for clear regulatory and quality data requirements. It also includes a decision tree to help innovators understand relevant guidance documents and access support for bespoke interpretation.
Facing obstacles with formulation, scale-up, or commercialisation within drug delivery?
Let’s discuss potential solutions and how we can offer support.
Let’s innovate together
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