Powering mRNA Vaccine Production: Inside Moderna’s UK Drug Substance Manufacturing Facility
Capable of producing up to 100 million vaccine doses annually, and 250 million in the event of pandemic, Moderna’s UK Drug Substance Manufacturing Facility is a key element of the company’s ten-year strategic partnership with the UK government to support with the nation’s health resilience. This article highlights how the site’s flexible, multi‑product design and global network integration enables rapid, resilient vaccine supply.
by Phil Isom - Site Head, Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC)
27 March 2026
Moderna’s Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, UK, is made up of the Drug Substance (DS) Manufacturing Facility and the Clinical Research and Development (R&D) Facility. The MITC has been constructed as part of a ten-year strategic partnership with the UK government, to provide the UK public with reliable, supply of mRNA vaccines that have been made in Britain.
The DS Manufacturing facility is where mRNA vaccine production takes place and it is the first of its kind in the UK. The facility can produce 100 million vaccine doses per year with the ability to scale this up to 250 million doses per year in the event of a pandemic.
To learn more about the process of mRNA production within the DS manufacturing facility, read our factsheet.
Enhancing UK Health Security
mRNA technology has been identified as a pivotal rapid-response platform, accelerating vaccine development from initial threat assessment to large-scale manufacturing. As the technology continues to evolve, this platform approach enables continuous improvement in speed, efficiency and readiness — strengthening long-term health resilience as well as rapid emergency response.
This capability supports the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation’s (CEPI) 100 Days Mission, a global goal to compress vaccine development timelines to 100 days.
The DS Manufacturing facility is designed as a multi-product site, meaning production can switch to manufacture vaccines for new pathogens or variants of concern, subject to clinical testing and licensing. This flexibility ensures the UK remains agile and prepared for future health threats.
A defining strength of mRNA is its platform nature — where core manufacturing processes remain consistent as new sequences, targets and applications are developed. This allows facilities like the MITC to evolve alongside the science, supporting next-generation mRNA medicines as the platform advances.
A Global Network for Health Security
The MITC is part of a broader global network of advanced manufacturing hubs, including sites in Norwood (USA), Laval (Canada), and Clayton (Australia). Insights from across this network feed back into manufacturing, process design and operational readiness, helping ensure each site continues to evolve as mRNA science advances.
Each site is strategically located to maximise geographic coverage and minimise response times, ensuring vaccines and therapeutics can be distributed quickly and efficiently where they are needed most. By situating a high-tech manufacturing facility in the UK, Moderna is not only expanding its footprint but also ensuring the infrastructure is in place to respond rapidly to health emergencies. This proactive approach is crucial in a world where new pathogens can emerge unexpectedly and spread rapidly. Designed as a digital-first facility, the DS Manufacturing site is able to incorporate advances in automation, analytics and process optimisation over time. This ensures manufacturing keeps pace with innovation in mRNA design and delivery, supporting faster development cycles and continuously improving efficiency and resilience.
By combining scale, flexibility and continuous innovation, the MITC has been designed not just to meet today’s needs, but to adapt as mRNA technology advances — ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of this rapidly evolving platform.
To find out more about the DS manufacturing facility and what we do here, watch the video below!