11th July 2018
Minister Pat Breen Officially Opens New Global R&D Centre of Excellence
85 new high-tech positions for Limerick region
BD, a leading global medical technology company, today announced the creation of 85 new jobs for the Limerick region. The announcement was made as Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection Pat Breen TD, officially opened BD’s Research Centre Ireland (RCI) in Limerick’s National Technology Park. The €21 million investment in BD’s new centre of excellence has already seen 100 jobs recruited for the facility in 2017 and early 2018. The announcement of these 85 additional positions will bring the total number of employees across BD’s two Limerick sites to 285.
The project is supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland.
BD was founded in 1897 and has had a presence in Ireland since 1964. The company provides solutions that help advance medical research and genomics, enhance the diagnosis of infectious disease and cancer, improve medication management and infection prevention and support the management of diabetes. BD’s new Research Centre Ireland (RCI) is focused on product and software development, clinical research instrumentation and prototype development, expanding the existing community of Life Sciences companies in the region.
The 85 new roles are for a variety of highly skilled positions such as software, hardware and systems engineering, scientists, and technical management, with the majority being brought on-stream by the end of this year.
Speaking at the announcement, Dennis Gilbert, Senior Vice President for R&D at BD said that the new roles are critical to BD’s long term global growth plan, “The opening of BD’s R&D Centre of Excellence in Limerick today marks a new era for BD and the Life Sciences community in Ireland. This new centre has been established to serve as a global R&D hub for our businesses and is key to our long-term strategic growth plans. BD’s decision to open our global research centre here in Limerick is based on the region’s highly skilled talent, our strong relationships with local universities and Limerick’s stellar reputation as an important Life Sciences hub. Announcing 85 additional new jobs today further strengthens our commitment to investing in Ireland, and we will be able to further accelerate our recruitment efforts here to continue to build on our expertise and capabilities.”
Officially opening the new facility today, Minister Breen said “This announcement by BD is a vote of confidence in the Mid-West region as a destination for high-end medical technology companies. It will provide excellent employment opportunities and contribute greatly to the local economy of the region. I would like to wish BD continued success and assure them of our ongoing support.”
Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA said, “This significant investment by BD in its new R&D Centre of Excellence in Limerick today is a very welcome addition to the Life Sciences sector in the Mid-West region. Winning investment for regional locations is a key focus for IDA Ireland and this project is an excellent one to secure for this region.”
BD has invested significantly in Irish Jobs and the Irish economy over the last 50 years since it established its first manufacturing site in Drogheda. BD currently employs more than 1,300 employees , in Ireland across Drogheda, Dun Laoghaire and its two sites in Limerick.
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About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 65,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help improve patient outcomes, improve the safety and efficiency of clinicians’ care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to better diagnose disease and advance researchers’ capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. In 2017, BD welcomed C. R. Bard and its products into the BD family. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com. For more information on BD Ireland, visit bdcareers.ie.
Issued on behalf of BD by Walsh:PR
For more information please contact:
Emily Hughes
Client Director, Walsh:PR
E: emily@walshpr.ie
T: (01) 661 3515
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