Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock TD visited the Eli Lilly and Company facility in Kinsale, County Cork, where a major recruitment campaign for its new biopharmaceutical facility will begin this week.

More than 100 highly qualified personnel across a range of disciplines will be recruited to add to the existing staffing of the new facility,with the bulk to be recruited this year.

Eli Lilly and Company, a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, had previously announced the investment of €330 million in a brand-new facility at its Kinsale campus in Cork in 2012. The investment will expand the Kinsale site's existing biopharmaceutical mission with the establishment of an additional world-class commercialisation and manufacturing facility.

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The new facility, when fully operational in 2016, will require a range of skills including Operators, Process Engineers, Scientists, Laboratory Analysts, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Professionals. The recruitment campaign will begin this week across a range of media, and will run through April.

Speaking at the facility, Minister Sherlock said: "This is fantastic news not just for Cork but for the pharmaceutical sector a whole. These positions are spread over a number of different technical areas and it is an exciting time for Eli Lilly. The Government is committed to supporting all industry and today's announcement is a vote of confidence in Cork and in Ireland.

"Furthermore, it is great news that these positions are being recruited for immediately. I encourage everyone involved in this sector to look at the opportunities available to them from this recruitment campaign."

Chris Langan, General Manager of the Kinsale site, said: "I am delighted that Minister Sherlock could visit Lilly Kinsale today and, in particular, at this historic/exciting moment for Lilly's presence in Ireland.

"The significant expansion endorses the site's success in developing a world class biopharmaceutical business offering highly skilled employment while developing life-saving treatments for patients around the world."

(CD)