Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny was in New York for less than 36 hours last Thursday and Friday, and when he traveled back to Dublin he did so armed with the news that Bristol-Myers Squibb plans to construct a new state-of-the-art, large-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Cruiserath, Co. Dublin that will produce multiple therapies for the company’s growing biologics portfolio.

“I greatly welcome this investment, which is a huge boost to the Irish economy. I had the opportunity to meet with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and I'm delighted they chose Ireland as the location for this large, state-of-the-art facility. The government has a plan to secure recovery so that Ireland can attract new jobs and investments such as those being announced today,” Kenny said in New York on Friday.

Approximately 350 to 400 scientists, engineers, bioprocess operators, quality specialists and other skilled professionals are expected to work at the facility when construction is completed, and the construction program is expected to create about 1,000 jobs. The completion of the facility, including commissioning and validation, is anticipated to take approximately four years and is currently scheduled to be operational in 2019.

“This facility will be the second biggest investment won by IDA’s Life Sciences division and is a major vote of confidence in Ireland’s ability to win large-scale, capital investment projects,” IDA Ireland Chief Executive Martin Shanahan said.

Last Thursday evening Kenny received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ireland-U.S. Council at a dinner in the Metropolitan Club. On Friday morning he toured the New York Stock Exchange where he rang the opening bell, and conducted a number of business-related meetings before traveling to Dublin.