The NIBRT-GE Single-Use Centre of Excellence, equipped with GE Healthcare’s (GE) biomanufacturing platform, has the capacity to train 1,500 trainees annually.
While NIBRT told us it is targeting Irish biopharmaceutical companies, the institute – plans of which were first announced in September last year – hopes to extend its training services to European and global firms.
“The goal of the single-use centre of excellence training collaboration is to strengthen the single-use training capability at NIBRT and create a global training hub for single-use technologies,” NIBRT’s Alison Quinn told Biopharma-Reporter.
“This is also unique for Ireland, because single-use technologies are not widely used in the country despite the thriving biopharma industry,” she said.
NIBRT and GE have signed a three year partnership, after which GE has proposed an equipment upgrade.
Single-use demand
NIBRT said it is expecting an increased interest from customers to learn how to use and purchase single-use technologies, which are conducive to the development of precise therapies for smaller patient populations.
“All indications would suggest that there will be an increase in the adoption of such technologies, so NIBRT needs to be ready to embrace the undoubted training need that will arise going forward,” said Quinn.
Backing Ireland
This partnership is not GE’s only investment in the Irish pharmaceutical industry.
Last year GE announced its BioPark Cork project, a GE-managed campus comprised of four prefabricated, off-the-shelf biologics factories owned by independent biopharma companies. When fully functional, the site will create 500 jobs.
The NIBRT-GE Single-Use Centre of Excellence will train GE BioPark Cork employees.
The training facility, costs for which were shared between GE and NIBRT, will host its first collaborative training program in September.