Rachel Shelly
Divisional Manager, Life Sciences & Food and Talent, Transformation and Innovation, IDA Ireland
Irish life sciences facilities nationwide create jobs, impact capital expenditure and are a source of materials and services. Irish-based companies supplying the industry amplify this impact.
Home to 13 of the world’s top 15 pharma companies and 14 of the largest 15 medtech companies, Ireland is one of the world’s leading locations for life sciences. Employing about 100,000 people, the sector exports over €100 billion annually.
Advancing Ireland life sciences
From small molecule API to biologics and cell/gene therapy, Ireland’s biopharma industry is enabling more complex manufacturing and advanced therapeutics.
A €12 billion biologics investment has been secured over the past decade from leading companies. The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) is driving talent development, recently opening a new CONCEPT lab, providing state-of-the-art solutions for next-generation therapeutic research, including biologics, cell, gene and RNA therapies.
Technology driving competitiveness
Ireland boasts Europe’s highest number of medtech jobs per capita and a broad talent pool. This is borne out by continuous glucose monitoring manufacturers building new facilities in Galway and Kilkenny, highlighting Ireland’s technical capability enabling the transition towards connected, ‘smarter’ devices.
Launched in 2023, Digital Manufacturing Ireland (DMI) is helping manufacturers to adopt new technologies like AI, automation and digitalisation to optimise operations, transform value chains and drive competitiveness. DMI is also leading on the skills and training needs associated with the adoption of these advanced manufacturing technologies.
Ireland’s strategic investments
Foundations are strong, but the sector faces ongoing disruption. Accelerated by technology and geopolitical uncertainty, agility and resilience across manufacturing supply chains remain critical. AI and Industry 5.0 are potential game-changers for productivity, sustainable work practices and faster collaboration across the entire value chain, for both drug development and device innovation. Ireland is responding through investment in NIBRT and DMI.
IDA Ireland is supporting industry transformation through upskilling and talent development, R&D and sustainability incentives. Ireland’s talent pool and industry’s capacity to innovate, deliver and commercialise products in a dynamic global environment remain key success factors. Ireland offers a talented, innovative business environment focused on partnership for success. This, combined with Ireland’s stability, is critical to securing next-generation life sciences investment.
