5000 new jobs?

The first phase of the Global Pharmaceutical Centre of Excellence (GPCE) was due to open in Tralee this month subject to environmental, planning and legal regulations but those behind the massive centre, which will be the largest single place of employment on the island once completed, are now considering Londonderry as a potential location.

Those proposing the 4.7billion euro GPCE centre - that projects 4,380 graduates, 116 leading academic professors and 321 corporate management executives at a new 1million square feet facility - last month visited Londonderry and met with Invest NI, University of Ulster, C-Tric and local elected representatives to consider locating here.

Invest NI’s Acting Director of Life Sciences and Creative, Stephen Wightman, last month privately advised Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and her Special Advisor Andrew Crawford that: “Londonderry is being considered as a potential location. GPCE’s overall aim is to recruit 4,800 staff over the next three years for a new 1million square feet facility.

“The potential scale of this project will require detailed due diligence to be undertaken by Invest NI and, although requested on a number of occasions, a business plan is still to be presented with details of the proposal.

“This venture will be delivered over a number of phases, with the first phase seeking to create 282 positions, in order to serve three initial contracts.

“The company had originally chosen Tralee, Co Kerry, as the location of this project, however, it is now considering placing it in Londonderry.”

According to Mr Wightman the team behind the massive proposed development held discussions with the Irish government over the last 12 months about placing the project in Tralee but a tiff with Invest NI’s southern counterpart, the IDA, subsequently enhanced Londonderry’s chances of clinching the deal.

“On the 16th March, 2011, the company along with the three initial customers announced the commencement of the project in Tralee. GPCE has indicated that a breach of trust has occurred with the IDA, and it is no longer content to continue its working relationship with them.

“For this reason the company is now stating that it is seriously considering placing the project in Londonderry,” stated Mr Wightman.

Invest NI noted that GPCE very actively lobbied the Irish Government and its enterprise agencies in order to support the proposal for Tralee and that Enterprise Ireland had provided an offer of support.

But the company has now also met with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA and Martina Anderson MLA on a number of occasions, in order to discuss Londonderry as a base for the proposal.

Mr Wightman told the Enterprise Minister to talk about working with GPCE to develop high value employment in R&D in Londonderry if she was pressed on the matter.

“Growing the economy remains a top priority in the Northern Executive’s Programme for Government. We remain focused on working with businesses like GPCE who are proposing to undertake innovative, knowledge driven activities.

“Recognise the importance of the Life Sciences sector to the NI economy, highlight the work of MATRIX (NI’s expert science industry panel) and confirm that DETI/Invest NI are actively working to grow and develop this priority sector.

“GPCE offers the potential of creating high value employment in Londonderry and we look forward to working with the company in order to develop its proposal,” were the lines the Minister was told to take.