Medical outsourcing provider Icon is to create 200 new jobs as part of a plan to develop a new global innovation hub in Ireland, the company said on Thursday.

Icon, which has its headquarters in Dublin, currently employs 10,300 people worldwide, including 1,000 people in Ireland. It operates 76 offices in 37 countries.

The new hub will foster the development of new technologies and clinical trial processes that enable faster access to large volumes of clinical data and will enable clinical trial personnel to derive better insights from the data, Icon said.

The new jobs, which will be divided between Dublin and Limerick, include roles in IT, data analytics, clinical science, project management, finance and human resources.

The jobs announcement was made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who also used the occasion to unveil the latest instalment of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.

The project has been part-funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

“Since our foundation in Dublin in 1990, Icon has grown to become a global leader in clinical research, employing 11,000 highly-skilled professionals in 40 countries. We have successfully built relationships with all of the world’s top biopharma companies and have been at the forefront of innovation in the design and conduct of global clinical trials,” said Icon chief executive Ciaran Murray.

“As innovation plays an increasingly important role in improving the outcomes of clinical trials, we are excited to reinforce our commitment to that goal by locating our global innovation hub in Ireland, one of the leading R&D and innovation centres in the world,” he added.