BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, today announced its plans to open a new research and development (R&D) Centre of Excellence in Limerick and bring 100 new jobs to the city.

Attending the announcement in Limerick, Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor said: “The Life Sciences sector makes a huge contribution to the Irish economy in terms of jobs and exports, and is one of our fastest growing sectors. BD’s decision to open this new Research and Development Centre of Excellence is a great vote of confidence in Ireland and brings an additional 100 high quality jobs to Limerick. Every job created has a positive impact on a family and wider community. This new project builds on our existing cluster of Life Sciences companies in this region and is very welcome. The Mid West has a very skilled talent pool and this amongst other benefits is attracting some of the big players to the region. I wish BD’s team every success for the future.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, who also attended the announcement, said: “Today’s announcement by BD of 100 jobs makes me very proud of Limerick. The company will now begin the process of giving 100 highly skilled workers the opportunity to improve their own lives through employment and also contribute in a meaningful way to the growth of this world class company. This is the latest in a series of quality jobs announcements in Limerick and is a further endorsement of the people of Limerick, the city itself and the top class educational institutions. I welcome BD to Limerick and wish the company and their people every success as they build and grow their operation here.”

Welcoming the new project, Minister of State Pat Breen TD said “We are very keen to pursue opportunities for Investment and Job Creation in the medical technologies sector. Here in the Mid West we have an exciting cluster of such companies and BD is blazing a trail with this new expansion project. Today’s announcement represents further instalment in a sequence of a terrific run of job creation announcements in this region over recent months. These projects reflect the ongoing success of the Government’s Regional Action Plan for Jobs for the Mid West, which is delivering strongly for this area”.

Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: “I’m delighted to see BD expand its operations in Limerick, establishing its first Centre of Excellence in Ireland at the National Technology Park. It’s a strong endorsement of Limerick and the Mid West region as an excellent location for global Med Tech companies. The 100 new jobs being created will be a significant boost for the city and region. I wish BD every success with this new project.”
BD has invested significantly in Irish Jobs and the Irish economy since 1964 with two sites in Drogheda and Dun Laoghaire, employing more than 500 people in highly skilled positions. With the recent acquisition of GenCell Biosystems Limited in Limerick, the number of BD employees in Ireland has risen to nearly 600.

The €21 million investment in the new Centre of Excellence includes an extensive renovation of the former UniGolf facility in the National Technology Park. Once completed, it is planned to house more than 200 high-tech positions, which includes more than 100 BD jobs that already exist in Limerick and the 100 new positions.

The project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Ireland.

The BD Limerick Centre of Excellence will initially be focused on product and software development, clinical research instrumentation and prototype development, primarily for the company’s Life Sciences businesses.

Ellen Strahlman, MD, MHSc, Executive Vice President R&D and Chief Medical Officer for BD said: “Ireland is an important part of our growth plans, and the Limerick Centre of Excellence is foundational in our objective to build an agile, world-class global organization to deliver an R&D portfolio that drives growth. This will require significant hiring of R&D associates, collaboration with local universities and the development of new technical capabilities.

“Areas served by activities and products arising from our new R&D Centre of Excellence will include the fields of microbiology and molecular biology, clinical and cellular research analysis, and industrial microbiology.

“Customers will include hospitals, laboratories and clinics, reference laboratories, industrial laboratories, physicians’ office practices, alternate site health care, academic and government institutions, and research facilities. Limerick will be very important for our strategic growth.”