A new high-tech laboratory space in Galway is aiming to supports startups in the life sciences sector in the region.

The 6,500 sq. ft. Business Innovation Centre North was set up by NUI Galway and is located adjacent to the university campus in Dangan Business Park. The facility has room for up to 100 employees.

The new development complements NUI Galway’s two other business innovation centres, which are home to 52 early-stage companies.

Junior minister Sean Kyne was present for the official opening of the new centre. “This new ‘wet lab’ space will help students, researchers, and life sciences workers undertake research and development, carry out experiments and test ideas that will potentially have life-enhancing and life-saving results for patients,” he said.

Fiona Neary, innovation operations manager at NUI Galway, explained that the university opened its first business innovation centre 30 years ago. “Life sciences startups have very particular needs. They require access to sophisticated ‘wet labs’, specialised and often expensive equipment, hospitals and a skilled workforce.

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“These requirements are all available here in NUI Galway. We anticipate an initiative like this has the potential to create a ‘networked’ regional enterprise hub for the incubation and acceleration of healthcare technologies.”

BIC North’s first tenant is Orbsen Therapeutics, a spinout from NUI Galway that specialises in cellular immunotherapies. “As we’ve grown to be a clinical stage company, the lack of suitable laboratory space in the area for emerging biopharmaceutical companies made relocation inevitable,” said Dr Larry Couture, CEO of Orbsen. “The Dangan facility is exactly what we and the local emerging biopharmaceutical community desperately need.”

Also in Galway, Boston Scientific (pictured above) has officially opened a new facility at its Ballybrit site. The new facility is at the site of the former Digital building and the company is investing €60m in this phase of development, with over 250 people expected to be based in the new facility by the end of 2019.

Boston Scientific Galway has a workforce of over 3,700 people covering all aspects of product design and manufacturing exporting more than four million medical devices each year.

Main Photo: (l-r) Sean Kyne, Fiona Neary, Larry Couture and NUI Galway president Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh (Pic: Sean Lydon)