Original Tender Description
The Catapult centres are a network of world-leading centres designed to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific areas and help drive future economic growth.
(https://catapult.org.uk/catapult-centres/). Our specific area is medicines discovery.
Funded by Innovate UK, an agency of the UK government, we are an independent not-for-profit company bringing together industry, academia, charities, technologists, services, finance companies, SMEs and start-ups who together can turn good science into new, high value products.
Medicines Discovery Catapult Ltd. (MDC) is a national facility connecting the UK community to accelerate innovative drug discovery.
We provide unique scientific capabilities and act as a gateway to UK resources and expertise, supporting UK SMEs to drive the development and industrialisation of new approaches for the discovery of new medicines.
By validating new ways of discovering medicines and driving key talent and expertise across the sector, we will support the UK life sciences industry, SMEs and innovators to deliver growth for the UK economy and maintain the UK’s heritage position as a global leader in medicines R&D.
Ultimately, new industrialised technologies are vital for delivering new medicines to patients, faster.
The UK Lighthouse Laboratories were established across the UK in a matter of weeks to dramatically increase the number of coronavirus tests that can take place each day to support the national effort against the coronavirus pandemic.
The new Lighthouse Laboratories have been constructed through a partnership with the Department of Health, MDC, UK Biocentre and the University of Glasgow. Their development is closely supported by both the NHS and Public Health England.
MDC is leading the Lighthouse Lab located in new dedicated labs at Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park.
More information on the UK Lighthouse Lab Network is available here: https://www.lighthouselabs.org.uk/