New training centre to drive next-generation bio-manufacturing competence.
The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) and GE Healthcare have opened a new training centre where up to 1,500 professionals are expected to receive training annually.
As originally reported by Siliconrepublic.com last year, the centre features the latest technologies that will further boost bio-manufacturing skills and expertise in Ireland, Europe and globally.
‘Of the top 10 therapeutics on the market today, eight are biopharmaceuticals’
– DAVID RADSPINNER
Ireland is one of the world’s top biopharmaceutical manufacturing locations and it has seen more than €10bn of investment in the last 10 years from global biopharma giants.
A flight simulator for biotech
NIBRT was established by IDA Ireland to serve the training requirements of the biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland. With its pilot-scale biotech manufacturing equipment, the organisation serves as a ‘flight simulator’ for biotech manufacturing.
The new centre is working with world-leading companies, providing detailed and significant training as well as growing its investment in process research.
“NIBRT is delighted to launch today the NIBRT-GE Single-Use Centre of Excellence, which will enable us to provide high quality training programmes in all aspects of single-use biopharma manufacturing,” said Dominic Carolan, CEO, NIBRT.
“In addition, we look forward to working with our clients on a broad range of process development and optimisation activities in this innovative centre.”
The NIBRT-GE Single-Use Centre of Excellence is run by NIBRT, and GE is the technology provider, delivering a fully integrated bio-manufacturing platform based on single-use technologies.
The training activities are expected to be operational in autumn 2017, and the training offering is now open for registration.
The partnership is initially signed for three years, with the objective of upgrading the equipment after that period, so that NIBRT would always have top-of-the-line equipment.
The new centre will also support GE BioPark Cork, a €150m GE-managed campus that includes four prefabricated, off-the-shelf biologics factories owned by independent biopharma companies manufacturing proprietary medicines.
The training centre at NIBRT is where personnel learn on the technologies that will be used at BioPark.
“The biopharma industry is growing rapidly,” explained David Radspinner, general manager, BioPark, GE Healthcare.
“Of the top 10 therapeutics on the market today, eight are biopharmaceuticals. Our customers are constantly looking for flexible ways to improve capacity and the efficiency of their manufacturing operations.
“We need to foster innovation and partner with the best to respond to this need – with the NIBRT partnership and GE BioPark Cork we are doing exactly this,” Radspinner said.
