New €31.6 million ARC Hub for Therapeutics to turn breakthrough Irish research into therapies and companies
Posted on: 03 December 2025
The ARC Hub for Therapeutics, a new national research initiative dedicated to fast-tracking biomedical innovation into real-world therapies and companies, was officially launched today at Trinity.
Welcoming the launch, James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said: “The ARC Hub for Therapeutics represents a transformative model of collaboration, regional innovation and entrepreneurial training in a sector that is critically important to our individual and collective wellbeing, socially and economically. Inclusively harnessing the commercial potential of cutting-edge biomedical research being carried out in Ireland’s higher education institutions will, in turn, produce tangible outcomes such as new treatments, licences, and spin-outs.”
Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Research Ireland CEO, stated: “A huge challenge for many countries is how we connect our research and innovation systems. The ARC Hub programme is an ambitious new initiative which proactively brings together our leading researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and industry to create an environment where our best and more disruptive research ideas can be translated from the lab to the market. This is about creating a scalable entrepreneurial model which can nurture both people and ideas to create the companies of the future.”
Hosted by Trinity, in partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences (RCSI) and University College Dublin (UCD), the ARC Hub for Therapeutics is part of Research Ireland’s flagship Accelerating Research to Commercialisation (ARC) Programme. The programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027.
“Ireland’s universities are the engine of our innovation economy,” said Prof. Vincent Kelly, the Hub’s Academic Director.
“The ARC Hub brings together the experience and talent of industry, investors, and academia to nurture young researchers and foster a sustainable culture of innovation, enterprise and spin-out formation in therapeutics and medicine.”
Prof. Vincent Kelly at the launch.
Building on an initial portfolio of 22 active research projects in some of the most critical areas of modern biomedical science (for example, addressing unmet needs in gene and RNA therapies, oncology, small-molecule therapeutics, haemostasis and bleeding disorders, vaccines and anti-infective platforms, and metabolic and inflammatory diseases) – the ARC Hub will soon open a new competitive funding opportunity for researchers to translate groundbreaking research into real world benefits.
Enda Hogan, Assistant Director, Southern Regional Assembly, said: “The ARC Hubs are a cornerstone of Ireland’s ambition to strengthen regional innovation and competitiveness within the European Research Area. They exemplify how EU investment drives balanced growth, enabling regions to contribute to cutting-edge science and commercialisation. Continued partnership with the European Union is essential to ensure that Ireland’s regions remain connected, resilient, and positioned to lead in the global innovation economy.”
Prof. Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, opened the event, while the session concluded with a panel discussion featuring key leaders from Ireland’s biopharma, research, and innovation sectors.
Prof Sinéad Ryan said: “I’m pleased to see Trinity College Dublin, alongside our colleagues in the higher education sector, taking a leadership role in this transformative national initiative. It is a distinct privilege for Trinity to be the lead institution, a position that strongly reflects the core tenets of our 2025–2030 Strategic Plan: ‘intensifying our research and intensifying our innovation, from excellent to outstanding.’
“We firmly believe in the transformative nature of discovery research and the profound power of innovation for public good. Through the establishment of the ARC Hub for Therapeutics, we seize a crucial opportunity to generate new knowledge and deliver tangible societal impact, directly addressing critical health challenges facing both Ireland and Europe.”
Prof Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, delivered opening remarks at the launch.
Driving commercialisation and real-world impact
The ARC Hub strategically unites leading academics and scientists with industry partners, investors, and the wider innovation ecosystem. Its core mission is to fast-track the commercialisation of next-generation therapeutics, including biologics, small molecules, immunotherapies, and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).
“The Hub represents a unique opportunity to enable and accelerate therapeutic discoveries emerging from Irish universities to meet industry standards,” said Dr Araz Raoof, the Hub’s Executive Director.
The Hub operates with a strategic and dynamic mindset, guided by a leadership team drawn from Trinity, UCD, and RCSI. This cross-institutional team of leaders and partners is united in its commitment to driving commercial success and translating innovative research into transformative new therapies, while training the next generation of entrepreneurial scientists.
Professor William Gallagher, Academic Deputy Director and Full Professor of Cancer Biology, UCD, said: “We, at University College Dublin, are delighted to be co-leading this critical new initiative, together with Trinity College Dublin and RCSI, to advance the development of new innovations in the therapeutics landscape towards commercial utility. The ARC Hub for Therapeutics synergises the strengths of the top three leading institutions in the life sciences in Ireland, while also providing national reach to advance the indigenous therapeutics ecosystem.”
Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at RCSI, said: “RCSI is proud to co-lead the ARC Hub for Therapeutics in partnership with our colleagues in Trinity and UCD. As a university focused exclusively on health sciences, we bring a strong translational and clinical research perspective to this national initiative. Our focus has always been on research that makes a real difference to patients, and the Hub creates a powerful pathway from laboratory discovery to real-world impact. We look forward to advancing Ireland’s therapeutic innovation pipeline and supporting researchers to lead at the interface of science, medicine and enterprise.”
Media Contact:
Thomas Deane | Media Relations | deaneth@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 4685