A research centre led by the University of Limerick dedicated to supporting the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland will benefit from today’s announcement of €300 million investment by Science Foundation Ireland. The Irish pharmaceutical industry supports over 60,000 Irish jobs and exports over €50 billion annually. The University of Limerick welcomes the government’s commitment to supporting research as part of Ireland’s economic recovery plan
The Synthesis & Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) is a unique collaboration between 17 companies 8 academic institutions and will position Ireland as a global hub for pharmaceutical process innovation and advanced manufacturing. Building a core capability in the area of process R&D will serve to cement the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland. It will help to retain jobs in existing pharmaceutical companies and support local management in the intra-corporate competition for new investment projects. A key theme of the research is its focus on process efficiencies and ‘greener’ chemistry, which will have a positive impact on the environment by reducing and in some cases eliminating the use of environmentally hazardous materials.
Dr Mary Shire, Vice President Research at UL, welcomed the announcement; “The establishment of the Synthesis & Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre will have overarching economic impacts for Ireland in the retention and creation of jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. This investment will have major significance in promoting Ireland as a location for Foreign Direct Investment and job creation particularly in R&D and advanced manufacturing”.“