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Biopharma

Why Ireland for pharma investment

  • Be part of an established ecosystem for pharmaceutical and biopharma activity, combining technology, talent and research

  • We offer regulatory stability, sub-supply capability, a multicultural workforce and collaboration opportunities with industry partners

Source the skills you need to make your investment in Ireland a success

Connect with us

Source the skills you need to make your investment in Ireland a success

Connect with us
Factory Building

A Global Pharma Leader

Ireland’s life sciences sector has a global reputation for operational and innovational excellence. Leading industry names including Novartis, AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, Sanofi, Lilly, AstraZeneca, MSD, Bristol Myers Squibb and Takeda have significant operations here.

  • 90+ pharmaceutical companies operate in Ireland
  • 45,000 people employed in IDA client companies
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An Exporting Powerhouse

Ireland is the world’s third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals, according to the UN International Trade Statistics database. The sector continues to evolve, expanding its capabilities to include innovation, digitalisation and next-generation technologies.

  • €116+ billion annual exports
  • Third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals globally
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Opportunities to Collaborate

Multinationals operating in Ireland have many opportunities to collaborate with domestic companies, a network of life sciences sub-supply providers and multiple industry-focused research centres spanning a variety of technologies.

  • Facilitated sharing of best practice between companies
  • Active industry-academic partnership in technology, materials, manufacturing and more
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Strong Compliance Record

Ireland has an exemplary compliance record with regulatory agencies like the FDA and EMA, who collaborate and work closely with our Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to achieve trouble-free compliance.

  • 50 FDA-approved pharma and biopharma plants
  • Fair oversight of regulated companies and a culture of excellence in compliance
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World-Class Talent

Ireland’s industry can avail of skilled talent in existing pharma sites, experienced in quality assurance, quality control, product development, science and engineering. There’s also unrestricted access to the EU labour pool of over 240 million people.

  • Strong links with universities provide local talent matched to industry needs
  • Fast-track support for employment permits for skilled international labour

We are committed to Ireland and will work with all local partners to build this state-of-art next generation biomanufacturing facility as a showcase to the global biotech community

See similar companies in Ireland

WuXi Biologics
Regeneron
Johnson
GE Healthcare
Janssen
Gilead
Baxter
Lilly
West
Zoetis
Merck
Novartis
Sanofi
MSD
Pfizer
Takeda
Abbvie
Bristol Myers Squibb

Success Stories: Hear from leaders calling Ireland home

A proven path

See all Success Stories
AWS
Vanta
SAP
Qualtrics
Fragomen
eSentire
Cloud leader has invested $2billion+ in its Irish operations

Cloud leader has invested $2billion+ in its Irish operations

There is an abundance of talent in Ireland which helped us to exceed our talent growth targets ahead of schedule. Ireland is a great place to do business, the country’s creative culture and diverse pool of technical skills make it an ideal location for our rapidly expanding business

Vanta is a startup focused on automating cybersecurity compliance

Vanta is a startup focused on automating cybersecurity compliance

We have a talent pool that allows us to serve a large population in a very effective way, both with language and specialisation skills like sales or customer success.

Strong growth over decades at software giant’s Irish operations

Strong growth over decades at software giant’s Irish operations

On the occasion of SAP celebrating 25 years in Ireland I would like to thank the Ireland Leadership team and all SAP Ireland employees in Dublin and Galway for their expertise, flexibility, motivation and exceptional customer focus. Over the past 25 years we have helped guide customers and partners on their transformation journeys and as SAP celebrates its 50th anniversary globally we look forward to helping even more customers run better and improving people’s lives.

Qualtrics Chooses Ireland for its Skills Base

Qualtrics Chooses Ireland for its Skills Base

Ultimately, what you want is a geography where you can build an office that has broad market coverage. For a company going into Europe, Ireland has the lowest cost to set up a business, with a broad pool of talent from across the EU

In 2023, Fragomen celebrated five years in Ireland

In 2023, Fragomen celebrated five years in Ireland

We are incredibly proud to celebrate five years of success in our Dublin office, which has included extensive collaboration with Ireland’s robust business community. We provide crucial immigration support to our Ireland-based clients and international companies that thrive in the country’s supportive economic climate and increasingly streamlined business immigration system.

 eSentire's Cork site has become a service delivery centre of excellence and now employs 52 people

eSentire's Cork site has become a service delivery centre of excellence and now employs 52 people

There’s a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, it’s well documented that it’s very hard to hire and retain cybersecurity professionals. We’ve been able to hire very high-quality talent, who are doing a great job. There’s a very strong work ethic and culture here, eSentire has several very, very strong partnerships, and I emphasise the word ‘partnership’. A good example is Munster Technological University: they have what I would describe as the leading programme in cybersecurity in Ireland, hands down.

Find your European home

Find your European home