Outsourcing firm Icon is to develop a global innovation hub that will create 200 jobs in Ireland.

The firm, which is a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, is headquartered in Dublin and also has offices in Limerick.

Icon said that the planned new hub will foster the development of new technologies and clinical trial processes that will enable faster access to large volumes of clinical data, and will enable clinical trial personnel to derive better insights from the data.

The 200 new jobs will include roles in IT, data analytics, clinical science, project management, finance and human resources.

Ciaran Murray, CEO of Icon, said that since the firm's foundation in Dublin in 1990, it has grown to become a global leader in clinical research, employing 11,000 highly-skilled professionals in 40 countries.

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“As innovation plays an increasingly important role in improving the outcomes of clinical trials, we are excited to reinforce our commitment to that goal by locating our global innovation hub in Ireland, one of the leading R&D and innovation centres in the world.”

The new jobs will be split between Icon's operations in Dublin and Limerick, taking total employment by the firm in Ireland to 1,200. (January 2015)