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Innovate UK has launched Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute: Phase 1, providing up to £500,000 to support the development of a new national data capability for the UK medicines development and manufacturing sector.
The long-term ambition is to establish the Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute (MMDI) as a trusted, secure and federated national data hub that enables organisations across the sector to share and use data more effectively.
Phase 1 is specifically about building the foundations for this institute. Successful projects will bring together the right organisations, validate priority use cases and develop the governance, technical architecture, operating model and commercial strategy needed to support a strong Phase 2 proposal.
Key Dates and Funding
Opens: 7 September 2026
Closes: 14 October 2026, 11:00am
Funding per Project: £50,000 to £100,000
Funding Rate: Up to 100% of eligible project costs, subject to Minimal Financial Assistance rules
Project Duration: 3 to 6 months
Only successful applicants from Phase 1 will be invited to apply for Phase 2, which is expected to provide a large-scale collaborative R&D award of up to £5 million to establish the MMDI.
What is the Medicines Manufacturing Data Institute?
The MMDI is intended to create a trusted national capability for sharing and using data across the medicines development and manufacturing ecosystem.
Rather than establishing a single centralised database, the vision is for a federated data environment supported by common governance, standards, security and interoperability mechanisms.
The institute is expected to help organisations collaborate on shared challenges, support greater adoption of digital and AI-enabled approaches and improve confidence in data-driven medicines development and manufacturing.
Ultimately, the initiative aims to improve productivity and manufacturing efficiency, reduce development timelines and experimental waste, and accelerate the delivery of new medicines.
What Will Phase 1 Support?
Phase 1 is primarily a consortium-building and strategic development programme rather than a conventional technology R&D project.
Eligible activities can include:
Applicants can propose additional activities where they directly contribute to developing a robust Phase 2 proposition.
What Must Phase 1 Deliver?
Phase 1 projects are expected to create a comprehensive foundation for the future MMDI.
Key outputs include a blueprint for the institute, covering its vision, objectives, governance, federated data architecture, operating model and implementation roadmap.
Projects must also develop a committed delivery consortium, assess existing data initiatives and infrastructure, establish an initial governance and interoperability framework, and produce a business model and value proposition showing how the MMDI can attract users and become financially sustainable.
A roadmap must also explain how the institute could grow from an initial use case into a sustainable national capability.
The Use Case is Important
Applicants must propose an initial use case as part of their Phase 1 application.
The proposed use case should address a clearly identified industry need and demonstrate strong market pull, potential benefits to the medicines development and manufacturing ecosystem and scope for wider adoption.
During Phase 1, applicants will further test and validate this use case through stakeholder engagement and technical assessment. The use case can subsequently be refined or changed before Phase 2.
Importantly, applicants should show how the initial use case could eventually support additional applications, rather than creating a data capability that solves only one isolated problem.
Who Can Apply?
A Phase 1 project can be led by a UK registered:
The lead organisation needs to demonstrate that it can convene the wider medicines manufacturing ecosystem and enable industry to shape the strategic direction, priorities and use cases.
Projects can be delivered individually or collaboratively, although the purpose of Phase 1 is ultimately to build a strong consortium for Phase 2.
Potential Phase 2 participants could include data architecture hosts, business development organisations, regulators, data users and depositors, and advisory or steering organisations.
Why This Opportunity Matters
The value of data in medicines manufacturing increasingly extends beyond individual organisations. Manufacturing data, development data and digital models can potentially support better process optimisation, faster development, improved regulatory decision-making and more efficient production.
However, fragmented data, interoperability challenges, governance requirements and commercial sensitivities can prevent organisations from using this information collectively.
The MMDI aims to address these barriers by creating the governance, technical infrastructure and trusted environment needed for greater data collaboration across the UK medicines ecosystem. The longer-term ambition is not simply to establish another data platform, but to create a sustainable national capability that strengthens UK productivity, investment, resilience and competitiveness in medicines manufacturing.
How Inventya Can Help
The challenge with this competition is that applicants are not simply proposing a technology project. They need to demonstrate a credible vision for a national institute, bring together the right stakeholders and show how Phase 1 will generate the evidence required for a much larger Phase 2 programme.
Inventya can support applicants with:
Inventya can help applicants turn an initial MMDI concept into a well-evidenced, industry-led and commercially sustainable proposition capable of progressing from Phase 1 into the larger Phase 2 opportunity.
