A £38M centre of excellence focused on supporting the advancement of next generation medicines is “building up a head of steam”, a senior official has revealed.

The Centre for Process Innovation’s (CPI) National Biologics Manufacturing Centre aims to help organisations research potentially life-saving cures and vaccines and take their concepts to the market place.

Frank Millar, operations director, has now confirmed bosses at the Darlington base are speaking to potential partners over a fresh raft of research programmes, which can last between 18 months and two years, to maintain its momentum.

Mr Millar added the conversations will help the site, which opened in 2015 after receiving Government funding support, continue its good work and provide scope to add to a workforce that stands in excess of 50 people.

He also said officials have been delighted by the welcome the centre has been given from Darlington’s business landscape, with the town having beaten off competition from other UK sites, including science powerhouse Cambridge, for the operation.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, he said: “The choice of Darlington has proven to be an excellent success.

“As a consequence of the building being here, we have got job potential and are continuing our work on collaborations in the heart of the town.

“We have built up a head of steam and are on with securing work for the next few years.

“We have been successful but we are in a global and competitive market, so we have to get more of these.

“We cannot stand still.”

Mr Millar added the site is gaining traction with small and mediumsized businesses, with its services playing an important role in ensuring companies are not wasting money by failing to test ideas properly before the scale-up process.

He added: “A lot of our work is in analytical science and being able to better understand what is happening in a development process.”

CPI has another base at Wilton, near Redcar, and runs the National Printable Electronics Centre at NetPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham.