Pharmatex 2007 exhibition for Cork

CORK will play host to a major conference next week which will discuss the challenges facing the €33 billion bio-pharma industry in Ireland.

The bio-pharma industry employs more than 17,000 people in this country, but reports say it is facing an international skills shortage.

The Pharmatex 2007 exhibition and conference will help Ireland decide how it can take action to maintain its place as one of the top three centres of excellence in the global bio-pharma industry.

Barry O’Dowd, IDA Ireland’s manager of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology said: “Ireland is proactively addressing the issue with several key initiatives.”

These moves come as world leaders in the bio-pharma sector gather for the Pharmatex conference, of which the Irish Examiner is a media partner.

One of the keynote speakers at the conference is Dr Charles Leadbeater, one of the world’s leading authorities on innovation and creativity.

The industry’s development from a chemical to a biological-focus will be debated in a series of heads-of-industry seminars and workshops.

They will cover areas including human resources and technology.

The exhibition is on at the Radisson Hotel, Little Island on September 11-13.

For information visit: www.pharmatex.ie or see Monday’s Irish Examiner, which will include a conference and bio-pharma industry supplement.