The event is designed to connect students with professionals and key employers, as well as provide industry insights and skills development opportunities.
This coming Saturday (April 25), the National Institute for Biomedical Research and Training (NIBRT) will host the 12th annual Careers in Biopharma event.
Taking place in O’Reilly Hall at University College Dublin (UCD), this event is an opportunity for students, graduates and career seekers to expand their knowledge of the biopharma sector. Attendees can meet key industry employers, attend lectures, engage in professional development opportunities and expand their networks.
Registration for the event is free and those interested in attending can do so register in advance. The following is a list of some of the STEM organizations and institutions that will be there.
AbbVie
A US pharmaceutical company Abbvie was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Chicago. The organization has more than 80 international locations, including Cork, Dublin, Sligo and Mayo. AbbVie is focused on discovering, developing and delivering therapies and treatments for serious diseases, in areas such as immunology, oncology and neuroscience.
Alexion
It was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Alexion has been operating in Ireland since 2013, when it opened its first Irish location in Blanchardstown. Between the Dublin and Athlone locations, Alexion employs over 1300 people in Ireland. Acquired by AstraZeneca in 2020, Alexion focuses on creating treatments and solutions for complex and rare diseases.
Amgen
Biopharmaceutical company Amgen was first established in 1980 and has its main location in Thousand Oaks California. There are two locations in Dublin and the organization’s mission includes discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering new medicines to combat some of the world’s most serious conditions, such as heart disease, obesity-related conditions, rare diseases, inflammatory conditions and cancer. In January of this year, Amgen announced the acquisition of cancer drug discovery platform Dark Blue Therapeutics for up to $840m.
Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has been operating in Ireland for 52 years, starting in 1964 with the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Plant in Swords, Dublin. Currently, in Ireland, BMS has a biologics manufacturing facility in Cruiserath and offshore manufacturing units in Blanchardstown and Shannon. Around 1,000 people in Ireland are currently employed by BMS.
Eli Lilly
A US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly manufacturers of treatments in areas such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes. The company has been operating in Ireland since 1978 and employs over 3,700 people across three locations, Limerick and Cork. In 2024, international organizations announced plans to invest $1bn in expanding its manufacturing site in Limerick, bringing the total investment in construction to $2bn. Site development is ongoing.
The Grifols
Founded in Spain in 1909, it is a global healthcare company The Grifols has premises in Dublin, where it provides biopharma products and services. The Dublin area serves as the administrative center Grifols Biopharma overseeing treasury, risk management, supply and demand planning, control, R&D and commercial activities. It is also a center for labeling, packaging, conditioning, and distribution of finished plasma products. The organization employs more than 25,000 people worldwide, with a presence in more than 30 countries and territories.
ESP
It was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Maryland International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) is a large non-profit organization focused on the development of science, technology and regulation in the life cycle of medicines. The organization has more than 23,000 employees involved in creating solutions for the development and production of safe and effective pharmaceutical and biologic drugs and medical delivery devices. Members are scattered in more than 90 countries around the world.
Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine
Health company Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine he will also be present at the NIBRT event. The company employs around 140,000 people worldwide and aims to fight complex diseases through prevention, treatment and cure. The organization focuses mainly on the areas of oncology, immunology, cardiopulmonary and neuroscience. Johnson & Johnson’s connection with Ireland dates back to 1935, with over 6,000 Irish people employed at its ten locations in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Mayo.
MSD
US multinational pharmaceutical company MSD has a strong presence in Ireland, with facilities in Dublin, Carlow, Cork, Louth, Meath and Tipperary. MSD researches and creates medicines and vaccines for some of the world’s most challenging diseases, including cancer, HIV, Ebola, emerging animal diseases and most recently Covid-19.
OmniSpirant Therapeutics
Galway’s OmniSpirant Therapeutics was founded in 2016 by Gerry McCauley. It is a first-class therapeutics company working on the development of novel technologies that use inhaled stem cell exosomes to treat cancer and respiratory diseases.
Pfizer
A global pharmaceutical company Pfizer it is a name known all over the world. The organization currently employs around 3,700 people across six locations in Ireland. The first Irish location was established in 1969 and since then, Pfizer has invested $8bn. In March Pfizer announced its launch 2026 Apprenticeship Program open to both school leavers and those looking for a new job or academic success. The program is available at all Pfizer sites in Grange Castle, Dublin; Newbridge, Kildare; and Ringaskiddy, Cork.
ProPharma
Founded in 2001, headquartered in North Carolina ProPharma helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies bring new treatments to market. Their work spans the early stages of development, through to the clinical, regulatory approval and commercial stages. The organization has a strong global presence across Europe, the US and the AsiaPacific region.
Sanofi
A pharmaceutical company based in Paris Sanofi produces drugs in many therapeutic areas, treating diseases such as MS and diabetes. The R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma has a presence in over 60 countries and currently has two Irish locations in Waterford and Dublin.
Veolia
Headquartered in France, Veolia employs over 700 staff throughout Ireland. The organization works with clients to manage scarce resources using their expertise in operations, engineering and technology. The aim is to reduce the environmental impact of public, business and industrial activities. This is achieved by focusing on three key areas, decarbonisation, reducing emissions and increasing resource efficiency.
WuXi Biologicals
Headquartered in China, WuXi Biologicals is an open access biotechnology platform that provides end-to-end services to accelerate the development and production of biologics. WuXi employs more than 13,000 workers across China, the US, Ireland, Germany and Singapore. A global team of experts and scientists in biologics R&D and manufacturing, technological innovation, and operations. Situated on 26 acres of land, WuXi is centrally located between Dublin and Belfast, Dundalk, Louth. The site is one of the largest in the world using single-use bioreactor technology.
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