Singapore's BioPIPS consortium strives for sustainable productivity in biologics manufacturing
The Biologics Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (BioPIPS) consortium has strengthened its competencies by partnering with the global immunotherapy and vaccine companies, namely BioNTech, GSK and Sanofi. Singapore’s research organisations and institutes of higher learning viz; Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and its innovation and enterprise company, NTUitive; National University of Singapore (NUS), and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) have also joined BioPIPS to fortify the initiative.
The BioPIPS consortium will focus on biologics products including recombinant therapeutic proteins, and vaccines, which played a critical role in saving lives and preventing severe disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consortium is led by A*STAR and supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). It aims to grow Singapore’s capabilities in biologics manufacturing, focusing on increasing productivity and sustainability, to transform the existing base of biologics production in Singapore.
The partners inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2022 and have since been involved in exploratory discussions facilitated by A*STAR and EDB to identify manufacturing challenges and define problem statements for potential research projects. They include the use of data analytics to improve manufacturing processes, and the development of more agile and sustainable solutions for manufacturing.
“EDB supports the vision of BioPIPS to transform biologics and vaccine manufacturing in Singapore. Through partnerships with our institutes of higher learning and local enterprises, the consortium will advance the development and introduction of new technologies for biopharma manufacturing sites. This will enhance Singapore’s position as a global manufacturing hub for biopharma companies, and strengthen the overall capabilities and competitiveness of our local ecosystem and workforce.” Cindy Koh, Executive Vice President and Member of EXCO, EDB.
