Course takes place on 23rd and 24th of April 2026 at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is undergoing a paradigm shift, evolving from Quality by Design (QbD), where quality is built into the process during development to Quality by Control (QbC), where advanced control strategies and real-time monitoring actively ensure product quality during production. The training addresses the question of how we can keep pharmaceutical processes in optimal manufacturing conditions while ensuring versatility, resilience and quality of end product.
This intensive 1.5-day course, given by experts from Dynamical Systems and Control (DySC) lab, provides a practical and scientifically grounded framework for modern process control and optimization in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Participants will gain hands-on experience using a virtual plant simulation environment, where they will design, test, and evaluate different control strategies in a safe, risk-free setting.
Target Audience:
- Researchers and operators with no prior experience in process modeling or control.
- Process engineers, quality professionals, control engineers, and R&D scientists working in pharmaceutical
manufacturing. - Professionals seeking a refresher on process identification and control principles.
MODULE 1: Fundamentals & Classical Control (full Day)
Introduction to Process Control in Pharma
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Identification at operator level (e.g. first order plus dead time approximation model)
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Hands-on modelling session (identify FOPDT model of unit operations)
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PID Control Fundamentals
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Control structures and PID design
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Hands-On Simulation Session (Implementing and tuning PID controllers in the virtual plant)
MODULE 2: Advanced Control (half day)
Limitations of PID & Need for Advanced Control
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Introduction to Model Predictive Control (MPC)
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Hands-On: Implementing MPC (setting up MPC for the same virtual plant)
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Moving towards real-world implementation and QbC readiness
COURSE PROGRAMME
A detailed overview of the different modules can be found in the following document.
Registrations are open for this course, please follow the ‘REGISTER HERE‘ link above. If you have any questions please email Mark Gontsarik (mark.gontsarik@ugent.be).