The Drug Delivery Innovation Center (DDIC) at Chempark Leverkusen aims to bridge the gap between basic research and industry. The research center is used primarily for the development of new active pharmaceutical ingredients. In the future, an additional 600 square meters of laboratory space will be available for this purpose. In June, members of Invite, the public-private partnership behind the DDIC, inaugurated an extension building with specialized laboratories. This has created 25 new jobs.
In 2017, the chemical company Bayer, the Technical University of Dortmund and the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf joined forces at Invite. DDIC to create the conditions for developing innovations for the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Working with certain active pharmaceutical ingredients is subject to increased safety requirements that universities and many SMEs are unable to meet. The DDIC is therefore also a platform for promoting young talent in the pharmaceutical sector.
"At Invite, we have the opportunity to work together with universities on the technologies of tomorrow, such as the inhaled application of mRNA drugs," said Dr. Ildikó Terebesi, Managing Director of Invite, at the opening. NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur added: "You have created a center for cutting-edge pharmaceutical research that also focuses on climate-friendly production by optimizing production technology.
