The University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk) (has announced that its new Diamond integrated Pilot Plant (DiPP) will feature a continuous powder processing plant — the first of its kind in any UK university — and will manufacture pharmaceutical tablets from blends of model active ingredients and excipients.

Due to open in spring 2018, DiPP will undertake key powder process steps such as crystallisation, blending, granulation and tableting; it will also spearhead industry-driven research and learning for engineering students from around the globe.

Researchers will target industry-based problems, and students will use the facility to test design models for individual unit operations.

There will also be opportunities for training employees in the pharmaceutical industry and other sectors that make formulated products.

Jim Litster, head of department, said: “The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing the most significant change in manufacturing processes in the last 30 years.

“It is tremendous that our students can use this cutting-edge technology in their MEng, MSc and PhD studies.”