Successful completion of an Innovate UK Smart Grant to Develop Novel Compact Isolator.

Innovate UK, the UK Government's innovation agency, has awarded 3P innovation a Smart Grant to support the development of a novel compact isolator. This grant is the UK government's flagship grant program, awarding £125 million to British businesses every year. It is designed to support SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in developing disruptive innovations with significant potential for rapid economic return to the UK.

Smart grants are highly competitive, with only the very best game-changing and disruptive ideas being successful. By their own admission, Innovate UK awards less than 10% of applications received. However, our grant application scored over 85% with very positive assessor feedback, leading to a £370,000 grant to support the development of their novel compact isolator.

3P innovation identified an unmet need for high-containment, compact, free-standing isolators to fill and stopper pharmaceuticals into vials and syringes - termed "fill-finish." The primary aim of the grant was to develop an all-new modular and ultra-compact aseptic isolator to support the increasing needs of the pharmaceutical industry for flexible fill-finish solutions.

The ultra-compact design utilises existing factory space rather than requiring entire new facility construction. The project was also targeted at establishing a UK supply for the manufacture of pharmaceutical automation equipment to meet the needs of the nascent Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) and rapidly growing potent parenteral market. Ultimately, the UK government funded this initiative as they believe it will lead to high value-added manufacturing exports, while underpinning the UK's leadership position in the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Sector.

The focus of the innovation was to miniaturise the equipment while maintaining compliance with Annex 1, "Manufacture of Sterile Medicinal Products." By designing a system from the ground up, 3P innovation was able to achieve highly compact and autonomous solution.

3P innovation was pleased to announce the successful delivery of this 6-month "crash" development program and to launch of the system at the ISPE Aseptic conference in Bethesda, Washington DC on March 6th, 2023.

For further information, please contact enquiries@3Pinnovation.com