Minister James Lawless Visit to NIBRT

NIBRT was delighted to welcome Minister James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to our facility earlier today.

Since his appointment as Minister earlier this year, Minister Lawless has been very active in visiting Ireland’s higher education institutions and research institutes, and we were proud to showcase NIBRT today.

During the visit, the Minister met with NIBRT CEO Darrin Morrissey and members of our wider team, gaining first-hand insight into the impact of NIBRT’s cutting-edge biopharma manufacturing research and advanced workforce development programmes. The informal tour of the facility highlighted NIBRT’s state-of-the-art research and training infrastructure  and the pivotal role we play within the biopharma and biotech ecosystem.

The tour began with an introduction to CONCEPT at NIBRT – a pioneering core facility designed to drive innovation, collaboration, and early-stage biotherapy research – co-funded by Research Ireland and IDA Ireland.

The Minister also learned about the exciting work led by Professor Sakis Mantalaris, NIBRT’s research professor jointly appointed with Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Professor Mantalaris’s expertise in modelling biological systems and bioprocesses aligns with NIBRT’s and TCD’s shared ambition to position Ireland as a global hub for advanced therapy manufacturing.

Finally, Minister Lawless explored NIBRT’s world-class training facilities, experiencing first-hand the value of our simulated GMP environment and how we educate and train the biomanufacturing workforce of the future.

It was a pleasure to host Minister Lawless at NIBRT, and we look forward to welcoming him back again in the near future.