The First Minister, the deputy First Minister and the Minister
for Economy have announced a £12.9million investment by Cirdan
Imaging which will enhance the company's innovation and skills,
improve the efficiency of its laboratory information system (LIS)
and create 72 new jobs in Lisburn.
Cirdan's ‘Vision-Path' project will update its LIS system to
include new features that will differentiate it from its
competitors and improve efficiencies. The company will also
expand its sales and technical onboarding team and invest in the
skills of its workforce.
First Minister said: “72 new jobs, many
of them highly specialised, will provide valuable opportunities
for people in the local area. This £12.9million investment by
Cirdan Imaging is a strong endorsement of our Life & Health
Sciences sector and the highly skilled workforce we have here.
Just as importantly, this investment will support Cirdan's
continued innovation, strengthening patient diagnosis and care
across the world. We are determined to back businesses to
innovate, scale and create good jobs.”
Deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly said: “This £12.9m
investment and creation of 72 new jobs in Lisburn is very
positive news. Cirdan's investment demonstrates how innovation
and skills development go hand in hand to drive competitiveness.
By enhancing its LIS system and expanding into new international
markets, the company is building on the expertise we have here in
Northern Ireland and reinforcing our reputation as a centre of
excellence. This investment reflects the depth of talent we have
here and is fantastic for the company.”
Economy Minister said: “This investment
will help create good jobs and increase innovation in one of my
priority sectors. It is a vote of confidence in our talent and
R&D capabilities in the north. Cirdan is an exemplar company
which demonstrates how investment across R&D and skills can
help drive growth. With a focus on AI and photonics, Cirdan has a
real opportunity to develop innovative products which will drive
competitiveness globally.”
The Minister added: “The north is well known for advances in
medical devices and innovative diagnostic products. Our
strengths in Life and Health Sciences coupled with advances in AI
presents the north as an exciting location for both existing and
potential investors.”
Cirdan is a leading pathology company that aims to enhance
diagnosis for patients with cancer and other diseases. The
company's LIS makes patient diagnosis faster and more accurate by
improving clinical workflows and reducing costs across the world.
Hugh Cormican, CEO of Cirdan said: “The global LIS market is
highly competitive, creating significant barriers to entry. This
project will address this challenge and enable our LIS to become
more competitive in additional markets.”
To achieve its commercial ambitions the company will also
undertake a wide range of training across its expanded team. This
will support the development of its senior executives and
upskilling of sales and marketing staff.
Hugh added: “Over 72 jobs will be created over the course of the
project. Part of this new employment will be in our sales and
technical onboarding team to help us scale globally. We are
ambitious and want to grow our sales in existing markets such as
the UK and Australia. And with our innovative new features we
also want to break into other global markets including North
America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.”
Invest NI has offered the company £1.9m of support. This includes
support towards 10 of the jobs, skills development and the
R&D project which is creating 26 jobs.
The project will see the creation of 72 roles which include
Clinical Laboratory Analysts, Project Managers, Integration
Managers, Instrumentation Engineers, AI Engineers and Software
Engineers. The company hopes to fill roles by 2028.
Alison Currie, Chief Development Officer at Invest NI said:
“Innovation is the driving force behind Northern Ireland's Life
and Health Sciences sector, enabling breakthroughs that
strengthen our economy and improve patient outcomes around the
world.
“Along with supporting the company's innovation journey we're
directly supporting 10 management level roles with an average
salary of £70,500. This investment will help Cirdan to scale and
reinforce its position as a key player in Northern Ireland's Life
Health Sciences sector.”
Invest NI's R&D support for this project is part funded by
the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).
