Back to school: Shire trains at NIBRT ahead of biologics site opening

Shire is sending its employees to the National Institute for Bioprocessing and Research Training prior to opening its biomanufacturing site in Dunboyne, Ireland.

Under the professional training and development collaboration, Shire will employ the NIBRT-GE Single Use Technology Centre of Excellence and Emerson manufacturing automation platform to cover all aspects of biopharma manufacturing.

While all Dunboyne-based employees will receive training, the National Institute for Bioprocessing and Research Training (NIBRT) will train 20 staff members on-site for a period of 12 months.

NIBRT spokesperson Alison Quinn told us employees – who will receive training for the duration of the commissioning, validation, and start-up of the Dunboyne site – will develop quality processes while at the institute. 

“Training will cover all aspects of the biopharma manufacturing process, with a focus on cell culture, downstream processing, and bioanalytics,” she told us.

Shire’s employees will begin training in Q3, 2018.

Single-use at Dunboyne

Shire announced plans to construct the $400m biologics manufacturing facility in April, 2016.

A spokesperson told us the 120-acre campus will “adopt single use technology in the manufacturing processes, will be a highly automated facility and will also be the European Quality Control Hub for Shire’s biologics portfolio.”

The expansion – which will create approximately 400 jobs – responds to an increase in product demand, she added.