LabFact is a project that involves multiple institutes in the UK and France within the FCE region, bringing together world experts in flow and reagentless chemistry

LabFact’s aim is to produce 1000 chemical scaffolds targeted to the needs of regional industry.  Scaffolds are molecules that can be easily modified to interact with biological targets making them relevant to pharmaceutical, agrochemical and biotech industries by providing a rapid means to develop next generation medicines and agrochemicals.

LabFact’s vision is to produce these scaffolds with little to no waste using flow and reagentless technologies in combination (e.g. heat, light, pressure, electricity & microwaves). Using reagentless techniques adds a significant competitive advantage by reducing costs, enhancing sustainability and reducing waste streams. The benefits of using flow are linked to space and energy savings with the US Food & Drug Administration estimating that their adoption in drug manufacture would lead to substantial efficiency savings in 30% of current processes. This is especially important to the FCE region as it hosts many of the key instrument suppliers.  Thus, we are ideally placed to forge business-research partnerships that trigger investment in the region. LabFact will help SMEs to innovate production, add products to their portfolio and meet sustainability needs in accord with FCE Common Challenges.

LabFact’s deliverables alongside scaffold synthesis include:

• Promoting open innovation mechanisms
• Promoting smart technology innovation through research industry partnerships
• Promoting multidisciplinary business R&D knowledge
• Innovating R&D skills in SMEs through learning, teaching and training
• Building new partnerships for business-research cooperation and innovation