Wexport, Little Island, Cork

The Government has announced 4 R&D projects involving pre-grant investments amounting to a total of €45.5 million. Up to 26 new jobs will be created in coming years.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD announced that 4 companies in Ireland in a diversity of sectors are investing a total of €45.5 million, which will create 26 new jobs, in a range of Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) and Green Technology initiatives at their existing operations.

Wexport Ltd., part of the LEO Pharma Group is to immediately invest €10 million, with plans for a further €10 million at a later date, at its site in Little Island, Cork. It involves the establishment of a Research and Development Centre in Bioprocessing technology in addition to a doubling of production capacity.

Merit Medical Systems, Inc., which produces proprietary disposable medical devices for use in interventional and diagnostic procedures in hospitals worldwide, is to invest over €20 million at its Galway facility for Research and Development of a new product and to extend the range of a number of existing products.

Sanmina-SCI Corporation, a global electronics design and manufacturing services provider, is to invest €10 million in its operation in Fermoy, Co. Cork, for the expansion of its R&D into higher value activities.

Green Technology

Baxter Healthcare SA is to invest €5.5 million in installing and commissioning a 3MW Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP) in Castlebar, Co. Mayo over the next two years. The CHP plant will consist of two gas fuelled CHP units, capable of generating 3MW of energy, allowing the company generate 75% of its annual energy requirements at a significantly lower cost.