ICON has entered into a strategic partnership with University College Dublin (UCD) to transform research, teaching, training and innovation in the sciences in Ireland and aims to strengthen the ties between academic research and industry.
 
ICON has established the ICON Newman Fellowship in Genomics, a two-year post-doctoral fellowship based in the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science and the UCD Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory (CASL). The first recipient of the ICON Newman Fellowship is Colm J. Ryan, who has a Ph.D. in bioinformatics and will now conduct research for the control of gene expression by inherited variants, focusing on cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
 
ICON will also become a lead benefactor of the new UCD Science Center, a 67,000-square-meter building dedicated to research. ICON and UCD will also collaborate to explore drug development with the potential to include tailored teaching programs and internships in clinical research that will be available in Ireland and internationally through some of UCD’s university partners.
 
“It is important that we continue to develop our scientific capabilities and build a pool of talent that can support our growth plans, said Ciaran Murray, chief executive officer, ICON. UCD is at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and discovery in Ireland and shares ICON’s commitment to innovation. The partnership is built on creating an environment that will inspire future generations to engage in science, supporting Ireland’s efforts to develop as an important center for research and development.”