Prime Minister Visits Harwell Campus to Meet the Team Behind the UK’s Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today went to the construction site of the quickly developing UK’s Vaccines Manufacturing and Development Centre (VMIC) at Harwell Science and Innovation School. VMIC, a not-for-profit organisation will provide the UK’s first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing capability that will speed up vaccines advancement in the UK and likewise provide nationwide emergency situation response for future pandemics.

The Prime Minister met teams working at the forefront of the nationwide response to COVID-19– ranging from researchers and engineers encouraging on scaling up manufacturing of practical COVID-19 vaccines and establishing a fast deployment centre, referred to as ‘Virtual VMIC’ to increase supply of the Oxford/AZ vaccine, which is presently in scientific trials to guarantee its security and efficiency. He also met design and building teams fasting lane the development of the 7,400 sq m center and who are working in an unmatched effort to bring the modern centre online a year ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: “Dazzling researchers in Oxfordshire and around the UK are driving worldwide efforts to establish a safe vaccine that works to defeat coronavirus. If one shows successful, we need to be ready to disperse it to the British people as soon as possible.

“That is why building and construction of the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Harwell, backed by ₤ 158million from the Government, is fully in progress in Oxfordshire. When open, VMIC will have the ability to produce adequate vaccine doses for the entire UK population in as little as six months, which would transform how we beat this virus and prepare for future pandemics.”

Dr Matthew Duchars, CEO of The Vaccines Manufacturing and Development Centre stated: “Today’s visit from the Prime Minister is testimony to the amazing work being carried out by an extraordinary group at VMIC and amongst our partners. Their work forms an essential part of the national response to COVID-19 in addition to fasting lane the facility to bring it online in 2021. When total, the centre will be geared up to provide future pandemic action for the entire of the UK.

“The Federal government has demonstrated it is completely dedicated to increasing the country’s vaccines infrastructure in order to enhance the UK’s capability to not only provide a pandemic reaction ability, however also to find and make vaccines for an entire series of conditions. We look forward to being able to deliver on this as part of our daily work, for the benefit of the UK and overseas.”

Angus Horner, Harwell Science and Development Campus Director, said “It is hugely valued that the Prime Minister went to VMIC at Harwell today, to see and hear for himself more about the development with the center and likewise VMIC and Harwell’s several clinical COVID-19 efforts.

“Extra to sovereign durability versus viral and other biological risks, the Harwell Campus and VMIC groups are working here every day to reinforce UK Science’s world leading position and to produce major financial and social benefits for our Country.”

Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive at UK Research Study and Development, said: “The Vaccines Manufacturing and Development Centre is an important brand-new weapon in the UK’s battle versus illness, ensuring adequate vaccines get to the public in the fastest possible time. It’s also part of a distinct health research study and development capability the UK is developing through a publicly-funded network of centres of quality, catalysts and facilities that will permit us to meet today’s health challenges– and those of the future.”

Cliff Dare, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Real Estate of Harwell School and Advancement Supervisor for the VMIC build,said, “Both Harwell Campus and the UK as a whole have an excellent record of stepping up in times of difficulty, and our joint and combined response to COVID-19 is yet another example of this.

“Numerous projects, in both the Private and Public Sectors, speak about “Threat” without really understanding what that suggests and this task has truly pressed the “threat envelope” in order to deliver it over 12 months early throughout the pandemic scenario. This implies cooperation and concurrency at every level with all stakeholders on a mutually concurred joint result in our Nation’s interest”.

VMIC was developed by the University of Oxford, Imperial College and London School of Health and Tropical Medicine with assistance from commercial partners, MSD, Johnson and Johnson and Cytiva, formerly referred to as GE Healthcare. The Centre’s initial funding originated from a ₤ 65 million grant from UK Research and Innovation, as part of the UK Federal government’s Industrial Technique Obstacle Fund, with an additional ₤ 93 million in 2020 to broaden the center’s capabilities and fast lane the develop.

VMIC will inhabit a prominent place on the 700-acre Harwell School, home to 6,000 individuals across ~ 225 organisations [with 30 universities represented onsite] As a pillar organisation within the Harwell HealthTec Cluster (58 organisations, jointly employing 1,250 individuals), VMIC will be co-located with the UK’s open gain access to National Laboratories, consisting of the Diamond Source of light and The Rosalind Franklin Institute along with innovative start-ups/ SMEs through to multinationals operating in the worldwide and UK Life Sciences sector.

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