Prof Vincent P. Kelly
Trinity College Dublin, ARC Hub for Therapeutics Academic Director
Dr Araz Raoof
University College Dublin, ARC Hub for Therapeutics Executive Director
National research hub bridges Ireland’s biopharmaceutical sector with the academic ecosystem, accelerating research towards commercial success and cultivating the next generation of research entrepreneurs.
Ireland has the highest number of third-level graduates in Europe per population among people aged 25–34, with 25% of PhD graduates pursuing employment in the biopharmaceutical sector. “Ireland may seem small, but it’s the 3rd largest exporter of pharmaceuticals worldwide, with a strong foundation of technology, making it well placed to innovate within the therapeutic space,” explains Professor Vincent Kelly, Academic Director.
The ARC Hub for Therapeutics is leveraging Ireland’s biomedical infrastructure to support early-career researchers. “The sheer depth of knowledge required to develop a therapeutic is enormous,” explains Kelly. “We’re supporting early-career researchers to realise their commercial ideas, connecting them to an ecosystem of support far wider than their academic institutions.”
Multi-institution partnership and mentorship
Hosted at Trinity College Dublin, alongside University College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons, the ARC Hub will strengthen collaboration and knowledge transfer between universities, investors, industry and clinicians to create new therapeutic products, industry licenses and high-quality spin-outs indigenous to Ireland.
“The risk is high in therapeutics, and community is important,” explains Dr Araz Raoof, Executive Director. “The Hub brings together a diverse skillset of expertise and comprehensive operational models to help researchers with concept validation, clinical development and competitive analysis, helping to shape and mature ideas.”
The Hub connects key stakeholders in therapeutic development, combining experts in project management, discovery research and business development with leading academic institutions, which Kelly refers to as Ireland’s “powerhouses of research.”
The sheer depth of knowledge required to develop a therapeutic is enormous,
Strategic investment in therapeutic innovation
The ARC Hub for Therapeutics is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027, and aligned with national priorities to affirm Ireland as a hub for therapeutic discovery. “We’re catalysts and connectors, a key player in driving therapeutic innovation at both a national and European level,” explains Raoof, “We hope to have a voice in driving the national life science strategy.”
The ARC Hub is helping Ireland realise its promise as a leading biomedical ecosystem, creating a pool of researchers with therapeutic discovery mindsets, and promoting discovery in high-priority areas such as small-molecule programmes, gene therapy, biomaterials and therapeutic biomarkers.
To mark the progress made since inception, The Arc Hub for Therapeutics is hosting a ‘launch event’ bringing together academics, investors, business leaders, researchers and international accelerator programmes to showcase the projects underway and the possibilities for future innovation.
