Mark Talford

Deputy Challenge Director – Medicines Manufacturing Challenge , Innovate UK

Mark Talford has over 20 years of experience in research and innovation posts in industry and academia. Beginning his career as a lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the University of Bradford, Mark joined BNFL, and later British Nuclear Group, Sellafield following the closure of Bradford’s original course. As a Senior Technical Advisor to the Waste Vitrification Plants Mark was responsible for the delivery of a multi-million-pound annual programme of process improvement research from both UK and overseas contractors.

In 2006 Mark joined Britest Ltd, becoming Technical Director in 2012 and CEO in 2018. At Britest Mark was involved in the scoping and delivery of several pharma, speciality and fine chemicals collaborative innovation projects including the EU F3 Factory and SYNFLOW programmes and the UK AMSCI ReMediES and ADDoPT projects, as well as supporting a variety of pharma and non-pharma MNC’s and CDMOs develop and implement novel primary and secondary manufacturing processes using the Britest process understanding toolkit. He joined the UKRI Medicines Manufacturing Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Team as Deputy Challenge Director in February 2021.

A chartered Chemical Engineer, Mark holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in polymer process modelling from the University of Bradford.

CPI's Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)

21 September 2023, GLASGOW