The new €57m National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training has been officially opened in Dublin.
The new facility, which is supported by IDA Ireland, is a collaboration between four third level institutions - UCD, Trinity College, Institute of Technology Sligo and DCU. It will support the biopharmaceutical industry here by educating and training people and by conducting research in collaboration with industry.
The NIBRT is the only such facility in the world and almost exactly replicates the environment that researchers would face in an industrial biopharmaceutical firm.
IDA Ireland says it will play a crucial role in terms of attracting investment and creating sustainable, well paid jobs.
Global leaders in the biopharmaceuticals sector that have major investments in Ireland include Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Genzyme, Lilly, Allergan and Mylan.
Ireland is a key location for the Life Sciences industry, with nine of the top ten global companies based here. The sector employs over 47,000 staff and exported €46 billion worth of produce last year - 42% of total exports from Ireland.
Meanwhile, IDA Ireland chief Barry O'Leary told RTE radio that the agency had a strong pipeline of new investment announcements, with a number of projects due to be announced by the end of July.
Ireland keeping up with EU on research
A European Commission report on research and development has found that Ireland is performing well in most areas, but falls short of the EU average for inventiveness.
The report says Ireland issues fewer patents than the EU average. The Commission says this is probably because for many of Ireland's multinationals, patents are being applied for by the head office of the companies' home countries.
It says the current financial problems 'can cast some doubts' on the ability of the public and private sectors to keep investing in research in the short term. But it adds that R&D remains a high priority for Ireland.
The report says the Irish research and innovation system is characterised by a strong high-quality scientific performance, thanks to a well-established number of renowned universities, and a large presence of foreign multi-national companies.
Overall, the report concludes that the EU's innovation performance needs big improvements in many areas to meet targets set out under its growth strategy known as Europe 2020.
