Cork research centre gets €50m investment

Government invests €36m to support research at Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre

The Irish Government and industry is to pump a combined €50m investment into the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) in Cork. The funding will be used to steer further research at the centre, with the goal being to make the APC a national exemplar for food and medical research, particularly in the probiotics and pharmabiotics areas.

The Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, which will be supported by a further €14 million in investment from 12 industry partners, has been designated a national centre for food and medicine research excellence.

Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock made the announcement today, noting that the centre had already established itself as one of the top probiotics research facilities in the world.

“The importance of continued investment in research cannot be underestimated both in terms of job creation and its overall impact on society,” he said. “Through the SFI Research Centres Programme this year we are establishing seven research centres of international scale and excellence. These cutting-edge research centres, which includes the APC here in Cork, will further enhance Ireland’s economic recovery process and be a magnet of attraction for industry.”

Sean Sherlock, Minister for Research and Innovation

The APC, which is a collaboration between University College Cork, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, and Cork Institute of Technology, was founded in 2003 and focuses on research in gastrointestinal health.