UK's VR-powered medicine maker scheme delivers first results

A UK government-backed initiative to train a new generation of skilled workers in medicines manufacturing has been taken up by around 1,200 people since it started 18 months ago.

The two-year Resilience programme, set up with £4.5 million ($6 million) in government funding last year, uses new tools such as virtual reality and mixed reality to train medicine makers in skills which would be impractical, disruptive, and expensive to gain in the real world.

Along with 1,200 trainees who have attended sessions run by Resilience and partners, around 13,500 students have participated in outreach events for schools and colleges, providing free resources to inspire students to consider a career in the sector. Also, 75 people from 23 organisations have joined a programme that is designed to identify a new generation of medicines development and manufacturing leaders.

The industry and government-backed Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership (MMIP) has said that the number of people employed in UK medicines manufacturing is shrinking and production volumes are also in decline, threatening the country's standing as a major player on the global life sciences stage.

The Resilience programme, operated from its base at the University of Birmingham, ties in with a drive by the MMIP to deliver 26,500 new jobs in medicines manufacturing by 2033, backed by 160 new investments and the adoption of digital and net-zero technologies.

However, that target has been undermined by recent decisions by some big pharma groups – including MSD, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly – to shelve UK projects in favour of investments in the US and elsewhere.

Those decisions have been driven by dissatisfaction with the prices that can be charged for new medicines used by the NHS, and a recent report from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) warned that the UK is losing out to competing countries in attracting investment in R&D, clinical trials, and capital investment projects.

On a positive note, Resilience seems to have cast its net widely, with two-thirds of people in the leadership programme female and 45% from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

"As we move into the latter stages of the programme, these results are overwhelmingly positive," said Resilience co-director Prof Ivan Wall, who noted that medicines manufacturing is an area facing a "critical shortage" in qualified and trained workers.

"The number of future medicine makers we've reached is remarkable," he added. "Skills are the engine of growth. When companies know they can tap into world-class talent, they invest, expand, and innovate. By building this pipeline, we can boost productivity at home and safeguard the sector, while making the UK the natural destination for global life sciences companies looking to establish and succeed."