New £1.9m IUK funded project set to develop new sustainable materials for application in bioprocessing
18 March 2025 – An industry-academia collaboration to advance sustainable bioprocessing through innovative materials for additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has been announced by Innovate UK (IUK), as part of the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D fund.
Project Nexus – a collaboration between Photocentric, Sartorius, Metamorphic, CPI, the University of Sheffield and Imperial College London, is embarking on the development of new sustainable materials for application in single-use bioprocessing equipment such as bioreactors.
Jeremy Pullin, Head of AM & Manufacturing Technology of Sartorius commented,
“The goals at the heart of the Nexus project go beyond simply enabling us to unlock the applications of today. They also allow us to realize the future obligations of us all, through the development of sustainable material formulations. Sartorius is committed, excited and proud to work alongside an amazing consortium of partners to bring this vision to reality.”
CAD rendering of a 3D printed media contact device that is used to continuously monitor media within a bioreactor via spectroscopy.
Single-Use Technologies (SUTs) offer numerous benefits, including faster setup and flexible process configurations, while significantly contributing to the reduction of resources like water, electricity, and caustic chemical usage. Although their waste contributes only about 0.002% to global plastic waste¹, this project aims to further enhance the advantages of SUTs by introducing sustainable material formulations for additive manufacturing.
Through £1.4m of funding via the Innovate UK (IUK) – Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D programme, Project Nexus brings together extensive expertise across advanced manufacturing automation, digital design and optimisation, as well as material innovation and bioprocessing, to pioneer the future of additive manufacturing (AM) of bioreactors at scale. The project aspires to offer a greener alternative to SU bioreactors with enhanced circularity and end-of-life pathways, all while retaining the flexibility of disposable systems.
Paul Holt, Founder and Managing Director of Photocentric commented, “Through harnessing the advanced capabilities of our latest 3D Printing innovation, JENI, we’re really excited to be part of this important partnership and the development of a new generation of cost effective, sustainable solutions for biopharma.”
By utilising advanced 3D printing technology and newly developed eco-friendly, bio-based resins to produce thermosets that can be autoclaved for reuse, Project Nexus aims to tackle current challenges and enhance sustainability through greater circularity – aligning with government targets for reducing waste and promoting sustainable manufacturing.
Tony Jackson, Director of Formulation at CPI said, “We’re excited to contribute our expertise in material innovation to Project Nexus. By developing a high-performance, bio-based resin tailored for bioreactors, we are enabling a more sustainable future for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Our focus on circularity and end-of-life solutions ensures that this project not only advances technological capabilities but also drives meaningful progress towards net zero goals. We look forward to collaborating with our partners to redefine the role of additive manufacturing in the sector.”
Maria Papathanasiou and Cleo Kontoravdi at Imperial College London commented, “We are very excited for this opportunity to demonstrate the translational capabilities of digital design space for the advancement of sustainable biopharmaceutical manufacturing by design.”
The bioreactors will be tested for pharmaceutical R&D and point-of-care manufacturing, with potential reuse in industrial biotechnology for green chemical production. In addition to this, the technical, economic, and environmental impact will be assessed, highlighting the benefits of AM technology in reducing waste and enhancing efficiency through material circularity and system flexibility.
Manolis Papastavrou, Director at Metamorphic commented, “We are excited to be working alongside leading experts from industry and academia to address one of the biggest challenges faced by the bioprocessing industry today. Nexus embodies our commitment to innovation; we will be pushing the boundaries of bioreactor performance and resource efficiency by leveraging the design freedom that Additive Manufacturing has to offer.”
Jose Casamayor Alarco, Technical Fellow at University of Sheffield AMRC said, “We’re excited to contribute the AMRC’s wealth of experience in sustainable design engineering to Project Nexus. This collaborative initiative will be a significant step in making the biopharmaceutical sector more sustainable, ultimately advancing the UK’s net zero ambitions.”
Project Nexus is fully established and set to deliver over the next 24 months. Further updates will be disseminated as this project progresses.
Key organisations and contacts
Innovate UK
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is the UK’s innovation agency. It works to create a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. Its mission is to help companies to grow through their development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive and easy to navigate.
Photocentric
Photocentric is a pioneering company in scalable 3D printing and advanced resins, developing and manufacturing LCD-based 3D printers and high-performance photopolymer materials for cost-effective, precision manufacturing. Photocentric is actively innovating new applications for 3D Printing including 3D-printed batteries and exploring additive manufacturing for the space industry.
Contact: John Igoe, Head of Marketing at Photocentric, [email protected]
Sartorius
Sartorius is a leading international partner of life sciences research and the biopharmaceutical industry. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group’s Lab Products & Services Division focuses on laboratories performing research and quality control at pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies as well as academic research institutes. The Bioprocess Solutions Division, with its broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions, helps customers manufacture biotech medications, vaccines, and cell and gene therapies safely, rapidly, and sustainably. The company, based in Göttingen, Germany, has a strong global reach with around 60 production and sales sites worldwide. Sartorius regularly expands its portfolio through the acquisition of complementary technologies. In 2024, the company generated sales revenue of around 3.4 billion euros. Around 13,500 employees are working for customers around the globe.
Contact: Lars Hanf, Head of Marketing BPS at Sartorius, [email protected]
Bettina Renker, Trade Media Relations & Scientific Events, BPS, Sartorius, [email protected]
Metamorphic provides tailored design consultancy services to organisations that want to evolve and accelerate their own R&D through the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM). We combine expertise in Design for Additive Manufacturing (3D printing), computational design, mechanical engineering, and advanced multi-physics simulation, in order to help our clients, navigate the complexity of AM and unlock opportunities for innovation. Our team specialises in early-stage (early TRL) technology and innovation projects across a variety of sectors.
Contact: Chris Young, Marketing & Communications Manager at Metamorphic, [email protected]
CPI
CPI catalyses the adoption of advanced technologies and manufacturing solutions to benefit people, places, and our planet. We accelerate the development, scale-up and commercialisation of smart AgriFoodTech, energy storage, HealthTech, materials, and pharma innovations. Through our incredible innovation experts and infrastructure, we look beyond the obvious to transform healthcare and drive towards a sustainable future. As a trusted partner of industry, academia, government, entrepreneurs and the investment community, we connect the dots within the innovation ecosystem to make great ideas and inventions a reality. We believe by working together we can build a better collective future, and as part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we facilitate access to world-class organisations to deliver transformation across industries and landscapes. Creating lasting global impact from the North of England and Scotland, we invest in people and disruptive technologies to invigorate economies, create circular supply chains and make our world a better place.
Contact: Abi Sawyer, Communications Manager at CPI, [email protected]
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a world-leading cluster for research, innovation and training. Part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult network, the AMRC has almost 100 industrial partners and works with manufacturing companies of all sizes from across the globe to deliver cutting-edge products and processes, and train new talent and skills. The research centre is driving sustainable manufacturing technologies for net zero, creating the vital step-changes needed in the low-carbon transition to help businesses increase economic performance, boost productivity and sharpen their competitive edge.
Contact: Mrudula Jadhav, Communications Officer at AMRC, [email protected]
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London sit within Imperial’s world-changing engineering faculty, where scientific imagination solves real-world problems. Our mission is to deliver world-leading research, education, enterprise, leadership and inspiration in chemical engineering, locally, nationally and globally.
Contact: Navta Hussain, Communications Manager at Imperial College London, [email protected]