Chemtech company Chemify has launched Chemifarm, a £12m, fully automated chemistry facility for molecular design and synthesis in Glasgow, UK.
The 21,500 sqft site utilises Chemify's AI-driven molecular design enginer with industrial-scale robotic synthesis, compressing the journey from concept to compound.
The facility is specifically designed to accelerate the discovery of small-molecule medicines and next-generation materials, which hopes to encourage breakthroughs in both drug discovery and materials science.
At the core of the Chemifarm site is the company's Chemputation platform, which combines a bespoke programming language, extensible robotics and a vast library of validated reactions — which enable on-demand design, optimisation and scale-up of moleculear manufacturing.
“The first Chemifarm is a watershed moment for molecular innovation,” said Lee Cronin, CEO and Founder of Chemify.
“By combining automation, AI and scalable synthesis, we can now move from code to compound faster than ever, fueling breakthroughs in drug discovery, materials science and beyond.”
According to Cronin, the University of Glasgow spin-out's launch of Chemify "exemplifies the transformative impact that emerges when academic research translates into industrial innovation."
The facility houses dedicated production suites, as well as engineering/fabrication zones and R&D labs.
This project was supported by the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator Programme, while Scottish Enterprise also provided a £1.1m grant to Chemify to complete the project.
Dean Cook, Director for Place and Global at Innovate UK, said: “A key objective of the Innovation Accelerator programme was to drive the technologies of tomorrow, so it’s fantastic to see Chemify launch the world’s first Chemputation facility."
"Chemifarm perfectly illustrates how place-based innovation support can deliver global impact by leveraging regional strengths. This facility further cements the UK’s reputation as a leader in advanced chemical and pharmaceutical industries.”
