CPI and the University of Liverpool: Innovating to Tackle Society’s Greatest Materials, Healthcare and Sustainability Challenges

The University has collaborated with CPI, a leading independent technology innovation centre, since 2009. Together, they address key societal challenges across various disciplines, delivering innovative R&D solutions.

The partnership’s most recent achievements include the launch of the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Innovation Zone project*, the Microbiome Acceleration, Innovation and Development (MAID) Hub, which positions the Region as a leader in microbiome innovation. Other successes, such as two Researcher in Residence programmes - one leading to the full-time employment of a University researcher at CPI - demonstrate how the collaboration translates academic research into commercial growth, health impact, and talent development.

CPI is now recognised as a key innovation partner for the University, with the collaboration set to deliver significant impact within the LCR, nationally, and beyond.

Background

CPI is an independent innovation organisation, established in 2004, that helps companies develop and commercialise advanced technologies and sustainable manufacturing solutions. In 2011, CPI became a founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which drives economic growth and prosperity across the UK. The partnership with UoL has expanded over the years to include a variety of research disciplines across the University's Faculties. Together, UoL and CPI have collaborated on a range of knowledge exchange projects, focusing particularly on materials science and health-related outcomes, while also addressing parallel research areas such as sustainability, advanced materials, digital technologies, climate futures, and personalised health.

In 2022, the partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), demonstrating both organisations’ commitment to accelerating joint initiatives that drive innovation and economic development within the LCR.

 

The pivotal role of the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC)

The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry (KCMC) was founded in 2009 with support from the North West Development Agency and since 2017 has been hosted by catapult partner CPI. UoL is a founding partner of the centre which connects its member Universities and Research Organisations with chemistry-using industries, providing companies with support spanning fundamental scientific insights, to scale-up and commercialisation of new products and processes. The partnership enables globally competitive innovation underpinned by materials chemistry to be exploited by industry, accelerating product and process innovations in advanced materials, delivering economic impact and supply chain resilience.

Since KCMC joined CPI, the partnership has secured over £18m of grant and industry-funded research partnership with UoL, alongside over 500 company engagements (including 150 SME engagements).

The University of Liverpool and CPI have a long history of collaboration, most notably through the KCMC, which drives knowledge transfer between universities and industry to deliver materials chemistry-led innovation.

Dr Steve McBride, Head of KCMC at CPI

Shaping the future of materials chemistry

Through KCMC, CPI has facilitated industrial engagement on numerous University of Liverpool projects over the years, building long-term relationships with key industries and new partnerships aligned to the University’s 2024 EPSRC CDT in Digital and Automated Materials Chemistry. Led by Professor Alessandro Troisi, this programme aims to train the next-generation of researchers skilled in digital tools such as AI, algorithms, and robotics, to solve materials chemistry challenges like design, synthesis, and characterisation. This expertise will drive innovation and contribute to sustainability and net-zero goals.

CPI supports initiatives such as AlChemy, led by Professor Andy Cooper, which brings together leading researchers, industry experts, and stakeholders to advance AI-chemistry and establish the UK as a global leader in Digital Chemistry. Another notable project is the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy, led by Professors Matt Rosseinsky OBE and Alex Cowan. The centre delivered research to transform the UK’s chemical industry into a fossil-independent, climate-positive, and sustainable circular economy.

The close relationship between CPI and the University has facilitated agile responses to new opportunities, including securing two Researcher in Residence secondments in Microbiome (Professor Fothergill) and Battery Materials (Professor Hardwick) and an HVMC Fellowship (Professor Chalker). As a result, University of Liverpool researcher, Dr Libby Duignan, is now employed by CPI, where she is working on the CF Trailfinder project (through the Cystic Fibrosis Trust award), aiming to develop new and more tailored phage-based treatment to manage CF lung infections.

Advancing health and life sciences innovation

Two standout projects exemplify the most significant aspects of the UoL-CPI partnership: the Intracellular Drug Discovery Centre and the Microbiome Acceleration, Innovation and Development (MAID) Hub, both of which are poised to make a profound impact on advancing health and life sciences innovation in the region.

The Intracellular Drug Discovery Centre: Transforming drug discovery and development

In May 2023, CPI launched a brand-new Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre in partnership with Medicines Discovery Catapult, the University of Liverpool, the University of Strathclyde, and Imperial College London - providing a single point of entry for drug discovery and development and helping develop novel drug delivery technologies. The joint initiative was awarded £10m and is the first of its kind in the UK, focusing on developing new lipid nanoparticle formulations (LNP) for the delivery of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) medicines. The funding supports the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment at CPI’s facilities, as well as the training and development of the future workforce, empowering early career researchers to build and sustain professional networks. The project is set to transform drug discovery and development, offering industry access to cutting-edge technologies.

Dr Juliana Haggerty, Head of the Intracellular Drug Discovery Centre at CPI, said, “This unique collaboration can provide the industry with unparalleled access to cutting-edge technologies to accelerate drug design, development, characterisation, and manufacture.”

Professor Neill Liptrott from the University’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics added, “Our research and expertise in immune compatibility of nanotherapeutics will support the infrastructure and help us realise the full potential of RNA-based therapeutics.”

The Microbiome Acceleration, Innovation and Development (MAID) Hub: positioning the Region as a leader in microbiome innovation.

In July 2023, the UK Government committed £160 million to accelerate innovation in the Life Sciences sector within the Liverpool City Region. The University of Liverpool is central to this initiative, known locally as the LCR Innovation Zone*, driving health and life sciences innovation and expanding the University’s world-class research assets. Read more about the LCR Innovation Zone here.

A key project within the LCR Innovation Zone is the Microbiome Acceleration, Innovation and Development (MAID) Hub, launched in 2025. Leveraging the University’s Microbiome Innovation Centre (MIC) and working with CPI, the Hub will provide end-to-end support to 60 innovative businesses, including consultancy, lab access, data analysis, and commercial advice. By utilising CPI’s facilities and expertise, this partnership will help accelerate the development of microbiome and phage therapeutics, fast-tracking their path to market.

Aligned with the UK’s ambition to be a global science and technology superpower, MAID builds on Liverpool’s strengths, positioning the Region as a leader in microbiome innovation, delivering local and global economic and healthcare benefits.

The MAID Innovation Hub offers a unique opportunity to develop transformative healthcare technologies and strengthen Liverpool’s position as a leader in life sciences innovation and specifically in the emerging area of microbiome research. We’re also excited to deepen our longstanding partnership with CPI and help establish the city region as a global leader in this field.

Professor Jo Fothergill, Director of The University of Liverpool’s MIC

 

*The Liverpool City Region (LCR) Life Sciences Innovation Zone - part of the Government’s national Investment Zone Programme - launched in December 2024, unlocking millions of pounds in funding and paving the way for up to £800 million of public and private investment and 8,000 new jobs.

 

A Partnership with regional and national impact  

Building on a strong foundation within the Liverpool City Region, the University of Liverpool and CPI’s partnership is also delivering national impact by contributing to the UK’s strategic innovation priorities. Through shared involvement in nationally funded programmes and centres of excellence the collaboration is advancing frontier research while helping to commercialise innovations that address national priorities in net zero, advanced manufacturing, and health resilience. By fostering a pipeline of skilled talent, facilitating SME engagement, and accelerating the translation of scientific breakthroughs into real-world applications, the partnership serves as a blueprint for how academic and industrial collaboration can shape the UK’s innovation ecosystem and enhance its global competitiveness.

Our partnership with the University of Liverpool showcases the power of collaboration between academia and industry, united by a shared vision to drive innovation in the Liverpool City Region. Together, we’re addressing some of society’s greatest challenges, from materials science to healthcare, while shaping the future of the region through innovation, knowledge transfer, and research. The University’s groundbreaking research in critical areas is key to advancing real-world impact, and our combined efforts will fuel scientific breakthroughs and contribute to the region’s long-term economic growth.

Frank Millar, CPI CEO