In the production of pharmaceutical and fine chemicals, most of the reactions are conducted 'homogeneously' in one phase, i.e. a suitable solvent is used to dissolved all of the starting material, reagent and catalyst. At the end of the reaction, extra operations (known as 'work up') are required to separate the product from byproducts and any remaining starting materials. Work up/separation procedures can be complicated and time-consuming, and can constitute 40-70% of the costs of chemical processes. It also consumes extra resources (energy, material, additional solvent), which is detrimental to the environment. One way of overcoming the separation issue is to conduct multiphase reactions, where the starting material and the reagent are dissolved in immiscible solvents (such as oil and water). After the reaction, the products remain physically separated from the reagent and byproducts, which simplifies the workup procedure. However, there are several fundamental issues that need to be addresse; namely, how fast reactions can occur at the interface, and how to control it precisely to afford reproducible and predictable outcomes (which is very important for its eventual application in industry). The proposed programme will develop a new type of continuous manufacturing process for multiphase oxidations. First, it will use electrochemistry to generate inorganic oxidants in water from non-hazardous inorganic salts and electricity. The solution of oxidant will be mixed with reactants in an immiscible solvent, using a specially designed reactor that generates an emulsion from the two immiscible fluids. After the reaction, the two different phases then separate out naturally, thus simplifying the workup procedure. The research programme will focus on the generation of different oxidants and their intrinsic reactivity. We will also develop novel emulsion forming systems to handle liquid/liquid reactive flows. The rates of the various steps in the process will be deteremined, to produce a predictive model that we can be used to construct a mini-plant for demonstration purposes.

Pharmaceutical R&D is a powerhouse in the UK, valued at £4.7 billion in 2019, equivalent to nearly a fifth of all R&D spending by industry across the UK economy. Projections indicate that it will generate an impressive £45 billion for the broader economy in the next 30 years from the 2019 R&D investment alone. However, it faces a significant skills gap, with traditional doctoral training programs failing to adequately prepare graduates for the dynamic and diverse demands of the industry. Research has tended to focus on empirical product development or specific process operations, leaving graduates unprepared to innovate in dynamic, multifunctional teams and explore diverse challenges, roles and career paths. This limitation not only hinders their potential but also stalls industry progress. Having a multi-skilled workforce is of paramount importance to accelerate sustainable medicine development and the introduction of ground-breaking patient-centric medicines. These elements are not only vital for enhancing the competitive edge of pharmaceutical manufacturing in the UK but also for guaranteeing that the future pharmaceutical industry is sustainable, resilient and human-centric - key pillars of the Industry 5.0 transformation. CEDAR will address this critical need by training 90 future leaders with multidisciplinary skills that combine pharmaceutical science and engineering with AI, data analytics, and robotics. CEDAR employs a cohort-based approach to equip graduates not only with technical proficiency but also with skills in leadership, collaboration, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and industrial and regulatory expertise. This well-rounded skill set will position them to thrive in modern, project-driven, cross-functional teams and therefore create excellent career opportunities. CEDAR's research projects aim to provide a digital, and advanced processing toolbox that covers the entire system from drug particle creation to precise prediction of their performance in the body. This will be achieved through the development and exploitation of digitally-enabled platform technologies - cyber-physical systems (CPS). These emerging technologies are crucial for accelerating drug development, particularly for emerging medicines like nanomedicines, peptides, and oligonucleotides where material sparing approaches are key and where patient-centricity is paramount. Recognising the transformative potential of CPS in the pharmaceutical industry, CEDAR's graduates will contribute innovative CPS solutions and pioneering methods that promise to revolutionise how future medicines are developed and manufactured. CEDAR draws upon the expertise of an internationally-leading, multidisciplinary team spanning four universities, working in conjunction with industry partners and non-profit organisations. With access to state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated operational support, CEDAR is exceptionally well-placed to address the skills gap and deliver the transformative research needed to drive the pharmaceutical industry towards sustainability, resilience, and human-centricity and deliver wider societal, economic and environmental benefit for all.