Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub

Lead Agency: Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing

State Served: Virginia

Applicant-Defined Region: Richmond MSA with partnerships in surrounding regions

Core Technology Area: active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing

Contact: Joy Polefrone ([email protected])

Media Contact: Alicia Durham ([email protected])

Organizational Link: https://buildingbettermedicine.com/

The Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Tech Hub, led by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, seeks to accelerate the growth, innovation, and sustainability of the U.S.-based advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing (APM) industry to re-shore safe and affordable medicines via innovative hybrid and continuous flow manufacturing technologies.  The APM Tech Hub builds off decade-long strategy development; existing regional assets; scientific capacities; and significant public and private investment to ensure critical pharmaceuticals are manufactured in the United States.

The APM Tech Hub seeks to rapidly expand production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and pharmaceuticals by complementing existing regional APM assets; redesigning pharmaceutical processes and technologies; addressing regulatory hurdles; developing talent; and building the organizational infrastructure needed to support reshoring manufacturers.

This consortium’s proposal includes plans to:

• Create an APM-specific accelerator to quicken drug product commercialization;
• Upgrade infrastructure to increase industrial shovel-ready sites around the Petersburg Industrial Park, an end-to-end APM campus;
• Construct a training facility for emerging APM technologies;
• Foster integration of digital technologies into APM;
• Support the development of a robust, in-demand workforce, informed by industry;
• Develop a dynamic industry road map to identify and address opportunities to fill supply chain, talent, and technology maturation gaps; and
• Formalize and refine the consortium’s existing structure and planning activities completed to date while integrating the needs of the larger 44-partner Hub to be effective and sustainable beyond the five-year project period.

To ensure that the impacts of the APM Tech Hub projects benefit the entire region, the consortium is committed to providing workforce training and wrapround services for local citizens.

This summary is based on information submitted by the applicants.

Designee Narrative (PDF) (submitted by the designee in its Phase 2 application package)

View Press Release

Additional Designations Earned in Region