How UK and Spanish scientists are reimagining the future of green pharma

The production of medicines is a high-stakes industry where efficiency and environmental impact often collide.  Given that the pharmaceutical industry is one of society’s biggest polluters, solving this challenge requires massive, cross-continent collaboration to spark real change. In this episode, we explore how some of the UK and Europe’s premier research institutes and pharmaceutical companies have joined forces to pioneer "greener" production methods. This work is funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship €96 billion research and innovation funding programme. We visit Barcelona to talk to Dr Laura Rodriguez and Dr Andrés Cruz from IRIS Technology Solutions. They share how their collaboration with UK research teams has yielded impressive results—and why the partnership itself has been a key factor in the success. This is a New Scientist CoLab production, sponsored by the UK Government. For more information and to find a UK partner for your next Horizon Europe bid, click here. Your host is James Randerson. Read more about the UK-Spanish partnerships solving pharma’s toughest challenges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices