BD to create 130 jobs through Limerick expansion

The facility in Castletroy currently employs 350 workers

Senior R&D Director for BD Padraig FitzGerald pictured with Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at BD Beth McCombs and Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD.

Global medical technology company BD is to create more than 130 jobs and invest €70m at their research centre in Limerick over the next five years.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) produces a range of medical devices including syringes, diagnostic systems, blood collection and laboratory equipment.

The company first began operations in Ireland in 1964 and now operates across four sites.

The Limerick facility in Castletroy opened in 2017 and operates as the company's global research hub and currently employs 350 workers. It is tasked with increasing the productivity and efficiency of BD products while reducing cost and time to market and houses centres of excellence in specialised disciplines such as information security, bio-compatibility and toxicology.

The announcement today will see the addition of high-quality research and development positions in engineering and scientific disciplines such as software, electronics, hardware and immunology. 

The expansion will include new laboratories, workspaces and technologies to support innovation.

“Our BD Research Centre Ireland plays an essential role in delivering products and solutions to improve biomedical discovery, the diagnosis of disease and the delivery of care for patients," BD's Chief Technology Officer Beth McCombs said.

"Continuing to attract the best and brightest minds in Limerick and across Ireland will be critical to help BD deliver on our purpose of advancing the world of health."

The expansion follows BD's announcement last week of 100 new jobs at its Drogheda facility through a €62m investment in new equipment.