AN IRISH pharmaceutical company is the lead promoter of a plan to locate a multibillion euro “centre of global pharmaceutical excellence” in Tralee, Co Kerry.
The chairman of Anglo Irish Bank and former leader of Fine Gael, Alan Dukes, is among those involved in the ambitious project.
Yesterday he told The Irish Times he had been involved with the project for the past six months but that it was still very much at an early stage.
Pharmadel, a company based in Midleton, Co Cork, is the lead promoter behind the project, which also involves a number of Cork and Kerry-based professional firms.
A website, gpce.ie, says the global pharmaceutical centre of excellence would be a €4.6 billion project which would be located in a campus-style facility in Tralee with a commercial and corporate orientation. It envisages the campus being the largest place of employment in Ireland and the largest research and development centre in the world.
The campus would have a number of different departments with different research objectives. Some would be promoted by governments to pursue public health research while others would be more commercial and focused on particular pharmaceutical areas.
A multidisciplinary team of accountants, solicitors, business development managers, information technology professionals, and graphic and web designers would work with and on behalf of each department.
Mr Dukes said the plan would envisage the different companies and indeed sovereign states pursuing research at the centre contributing to its financing.
News of the planning for the proposed centre emerged after the promoters briefed local politicians on what was envisaged. Fine Gael’s Jimmy Deenihan, one of those who met with the promoters, said local politicians would provide every support they could.
He understood that a planning application for a site in Tralee was to be submitted in September. “It is very much in its infancy but there are some serious people on the board of directors,” he said.
Attempts to get a comment from Pharmadel or its principal and chief executive, Patrick Barry, were unsuccessful.
The company put a short statement up on its website yesterday confirming it is engaged in the project. “It is a long and difficult process and it shall be up to 12 months before we can announce a conclusive outcome.”
