Leading Life Sciences Luminaries Connect at Innovation Ireland Reception

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovation Ireland (www.innovationireland.ie) tonight will host an event at the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C., to coincide with the showcase of Ireland's world class biotechnology industry at BIO's 8th annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.

The event will be hosted by Innovation Ireland and The Irish Ambassador to the United States, Michael Collins. It will bring together a large Irish-American network of business, science and investment leaders across the US, including key executives from the Irish and US commercial and research communities, the business and employer federation, IBEC, the Irish Office of the Chief Scientist and other leading members of the Irish Diaspora.

Brian O'Neill, Director of Life Sciences at Enterprise Ireland and speaker at the event, said, "The biopharmaceutical sector is a real powerhouse of the Irish economy. We now have end-to-end capabilities from world-class research facilities as well as highly innovative Irish technology companies and leading global manufacturers. The cohesion of great minds at events like the BIO conference is paramount to Ireland's rapidly growing presence and reputation in the biotechnology industry. "

Ireland's life sciences industry exports $63b per annum and employs some 50,000 people. As a testament to Ireland's track record in supporting innovation, it has secured more than $5 billion in investments from leading life sciences companies in recent years such as Allergan, Bristol–Myers Squibb, Genzyme, Gilead, Centocor, Merck, Wyeth, Pfizer and Schering-Plough.  These foreign investments, as well as a growing domestic sector, are supported by a high level of government funding through Science Foundation Ireland, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

About Innovation Ireland

Ireland's inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland (www.idaireland.ie) partners with foreign investors, helping them to set up and develop their business in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland (www.enterprise-ireland.com) is responsible for supporting Irish businesses in the manufacturing and internationally traded service sectors. Science Foundation Ireland (www.sfi.ie) invests in academic researchers and research teams who are most likely to generate new knowledge, leading edge technologies and competitive enterprises in the fields of science and engineering.  The Irish BioIndustry Association (www.ibia.ie) is the leading representative body for the Biotechnology Industry in Ireland and aims to promote, support and encourage the further development of the multinational and indigenous biotech sector in Ireland.

SOURCE Enterprise Ireland