A £11.7 million investment has been announced to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation in Northern Ireland. The funding comes from UK Research and Innovation’s Local Innovation Partnerships Fund and is the first project from the £30 million allocation to the Belfast-Derry Innovation Corridor.

Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University will deliver the iPHARMA project, providing businesses with specialist facilities and expertise to support the development and manufacture of innovative pharmaceutical products. The project aims to help companies bring new products to market more efficiently.

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said the investment would strengthen the pharmaceutical sector by helping turn innovative ideas into commercially viable products. She said giving businesses access to specialist expertise and facilities would overcome barriers to scale-up, accelerate new products towards market, and unlock further opportunities for investment and growth.

Professor Gavin Andrews, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and iPHARMA Lead, said Northern Ireland has internationally recognised strengths in pharmaceutical science, advanced manufacturing, and health innovation. He said the project would help translate those strengths into commercial success, creating high-value jobs, attracting investment, growing exports, and improving patient outcomes.

Professor Chris McConville, Professor of Biomedical Innovation at Ulster University and Deputy Lead for iPHARMA, said the project brings together complementary expertise to create an integrated pathway for pharmaceutical innovation. He said it would help companies de-risk manufacturing and development, make better decisions earlier, and move promising medicines towards patients more efficiently.

UKRI Chief Executive Professor Sir Ian Chapman said the investment is important for Northern Ireland’s innovation ecosystem. He said UKRI’s Local Innovation Partnerships Fund supports innovation across the UK by building on local strengths and knowledge, and that iPHARMA will enable research translation, collaborations with industry, and drive economic growth.

The project is part of wider efforts to boost the life and health sciences sector in Northern Ireland, with a focus on increasing productivity and supporting good jobs.