Epsrc Centre Doctoral Tender

ScopeEfficient synthesis remains a bottleneck in the drug discovery process. Access to novel biologically active molecules to treat diseases continues to be a major bottleneck in the pharmaceutical industry costing many lives and many millions per year in healthcare investment and loss in productivity. In 2016 the Pharmaceutical Industrys estimated annual global spend on research and development RD was over 157 billion. At a national level the pharmaceutical sector accounted for almost half of the UKs 2016 16.5bn RD expenditure with 700 million invested in pre-clinical small molecule synthesis and 995 pharmaceutical related enterprises big pharma SMEs biotech CROs employing around 23000 personnel in UK RD. The impact of this sector and its output on the nations productivity is indisputable and worthy of investment in new approaches and technologies to fuel further innovation and development.