SSPC_Brochure_2017_4 Screen

Pharmaceutical manufacturing contributes significantly to Ireland’s
economy. The industry employs over 25,000 individuals directly
and 24,500 indirectly, and produces over 50% of all exports,
making Ireland the second-largest pharmaceutical exporter in
the world. Each pharmaceutical drug produced for the market
is the culmination of at least a decade of sustained science
and engineering research that transforms a molecule into a
pharmaceutical material and, ultimately, into a medicine for the
benefit of patients, society and the wider economy. Next generation
drug manufacture will require a more integrated approach to
manufacturing pharmaceuticals, aimed at reducing the time and cost
to market and meeting the ever increasing regulatory requirements.
Launched in July 2013, the SSPC research programme leads the way for next generation
drug manufacture. The SSPC is the largest research collaboration in Ireland, and one of the
largest globally, within the pharmaceutical area. The SSPC represents a significant combined
Science Foundation Ireland and industry investment of €42 million. The SSPC builds upon the
success and foundations of the Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (2007-2013), which was
funded by Science Foundation Ireland’s Strategic Research Cluster programme. The Solid
State Pharmaceutical Cluster research programme focused exclusively upon the crystallisation
stage of the manufacturing process. Within the pharmaceutical industry, this stage is the
most challenging aspect of manufacturing, as there is a significant lack of fundamental
understanding of the science and engineering challenges at this stage of the process.
Building upon this success, the SSPC research programme now spans the entire
pharmaceutical production chain from synthesis of the molecule, to the isolation of the
material, to the formulation of the medicine. SSPC research focuses upon developing more
environmentally sustainable methods for drug manufacturing; increasing the range of
medicines available to the public; and reducing drug manufacturing costs. The SSPC aims
to deliver industry relevant solutions, which result in job growth and retention within the
pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.
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