Positioning itself at the forefront of biomedical innovation, Ireland has launched the ARC Hub for Therapeutics, a major initiative under the Accelerating Research to Commercialisation (ARC) Programme. With €63.8 million in funding – co-financed by the Irish Government and the European Regional Development Fund – this Hub aims to fast-track promising biomedical research into real-world treatments that can benefit patients across Ireland and beyond.
Led by Trinity College Professor Vincent Kelly, the Hub brings together a powerful alliance of academic institutions, including University College Dublin and RCSI, along with industry partners, investors and state agencies. Their shared goal is to unlock the commercial and clinical potential of cutting-edge innovations, with a strong emphasis on next-generation therapeutics such as biologics, small molecules, immunotherapies, and particularly advanced therapy medicinal products like gene and cell therapies.
What sets this Hub apart is its commitment to bridging the gap between laboratory research and the marketplace. Rather than allowing promising ideas to stall in early stages, the ARC Hub provides a structured and supportive environment to help transform them into spin-out companies, licensed technologies, or viable clinical candidates. Projects already in the pipeline include inhalable therapies for lung disease, gene therapies for neurological conditions like epilepsy, and novel solutions for wound healing and haemostasis.
Regionally, the initiative represents a major boost for Ireland’s innovation ecosystem. With funding allocated across the country, the Hub strengthens local research capacity while fostering collaboration between universities and commercial players. It also places strong emphasis on developing entrepreneurial talent within the scientific community – offering mentoring, training, and leadership development to help researchers turn their discoveries into impactful ventures.
By focusing on areas such as ATMPs and biomaterials, the ARC Hub for Therapeutics not only fills a strategic need in Ireland’s health innovation space, but also reinforces the country’s position as a rising leader in the global biotech field.
