Purdue University and leading academic and research universities in Ireland are building upon existing partnerships to bolster additional collaborative research efforts and study abroad opportunities.

In March, Purdue signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the Ireland-based National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, an international leader in biopharmaceutical manufacturing research and development and training. NIBRT partners with industry and academia to support international best practices in all aspects of biologics manufacturing training and research.

A key element of the agreement is to use the NIBRT business model to attract the best pharmaceutical experts to Indiana and train and retain them.

“In its entirety, our trip represented a powerful trifecta of conversations between industry, academia and government,” said Alyssa Wilcox, senior vice president for partnerships and the Purdue president’s chief of staff. “We have been cultivating these relationships with our Irish partners for decades. This particular visit was pivotal as we create pathways toward innovative technologies and research efforts that are mutually beneficial.”

“There are significant parallels between both the state of Indiana and the country of Ireland in terms of scholarly research in the life sciences sector,” said Eric Barker, the Jeannie and Jim Chaney Dean of Pharmacy and a professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology. “Purdue is the perfect conduit for these partners to continue collaboration on innovative research, pharmaceutical discovery, and manufacturing and technology commercialization.”

Barker said expanding the Purdue-Ireland relationship corresponds with the LEAP Innovation District in Lebanon, which is under development along Indiana’s Interstate 65 Hard Tech Corridor.
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co., which is a major player in Ireland’s pharmaceutical industry, has committed to build an R&D and manufacturing campus in the LEAP district.

“We continue to think about ways that we can contribute not only to new workforce talent development but also to retraining and upskilling of existing workforce to shift from traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing into more advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing — and finding opportunities to contribute to the training elements there as well,” Barker said. “Our partnership will help Purdue play a critical role in training the thousands of jobs coming to the industry.”