Skip to main content
Search...

A Global Pharma Leader

Ireland’s life sciences sector has a global reputation for operational and innovational excellence. Leading industry names including Novartis, AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, Sanofi, Lilly, AstraZeneca, MSD, Bristol Myers Squibb and Takeda have significant operations here.

90+ pharmaceutical companies operate in Ireland
45,000 people employed in IDA client companies

An Exporting Powerhouse

Ireland is the world’s third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals, according to the UN International Trade Statistics database. The sector continues to evolve, expanding its capabilities to include innovation, digitalisation and next-generation technologies.

€116+ billion annual exports
Third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals globally

Opportunities to Collaborate

Multinationals operating in Ireland have many opportunities to collaborate with domestic companies, a network of life sciences sub-supply providers and multiple industry-focused research centres spanning a variety of technologies.

Facilitated sharing of best practice between companies
Active industry-academic partnership in technology, materials, manufacturing and more

Strong Compliance Record

Ireland has an exemplary compliance record with regulatory agencies like the FDA and EMA, who collaborate and work closely with our Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to achieve trouble-free compliance.

50 FDA-approved pharma and biopharma plants
Fair oversight of regulated companies and a culture of excellence in compliance

World-Class Talent

Ireland’s industry can avail of skilled talent in existing pharma sites, experienced in quality assurance, quality control, product development, science and engineering. There’s also unrestricted access to the EU labour pool of over 240 million people.

Strong links with universities provide local talent matched to industry needs
Fast-track support for employment permits for skilled international labour

Pharmaceutical manufacturing in Ireland continues to perform very well contributing strongly to exports and economic growth and provides excellent career opportunities.

Dr Paul Duffy
Vice-President, Pfizer Global Supply

See What Sets Ireland Apart

Picture from the opening of AWS’ new 170,000 sq ft Dublin campus
Success Story

There is an abundance of talent in Ireland which helped us to exceed our talent growth targets ahead of schedule. Ireland is a great place to do business, the country’s creative culture and diverse pool of technical skills make it an ideal location for our rapidly expanding business

Mike Beary
Ireland Country Manager (2017-2023), AWS
Read more about AWS
A digital rendering of the planned site before building began
Success Story

We are committed to Ireland and will work with all local partners to build this state-of-art next generation biomanufacturing facility as a showcase to the global biotech community

Dr Chris Chen
CEO, WuXi Biologics
Read more about WuXi Biologics
Stryker’s Irish operations are its largest innovation and manufacturing hub outside USA
Success Story

Stryker's presence in Ireland is more than just a business expansion; it's a journey of mutual growth, skills development, and technological innovation that helps position Ireland as a global hub for leading innovation in the medical technology industry.

Dr Bernard O’Connor
VP Advanced Operations & Global Additive Technologies
Read more about Stryker
Zendesk
Success Story

Ireland has really become a place where a lot of Europeans want to work and we've been very lucky in attracting great talent from all over Europe that are now working in Dublin

Mikkel Svane
CEO, Zendesk
Read more about Zendesk
Qualtrics announcing further job expansions.
Success Story

Ultimately, what you want is a geography where you can build an office that has broad market coverage. For a company going into Europe, Ireland has the lowest cost to set up a business, with a broad pool of talent from across the EU

Jared Smith
Co-Founder
Read more about Qualtrics
Cloud leader has invested $2billion+ in its Irish operations
Pioneering Asian company locates first overseas factory in Ireland
Ireland is home to Stryker’s European Operations headquarters
Zendesk Expands Team to 500 Staff in Ireland
Qualtrics Chooses Ireland for its Skills Base