Launch of New €31.6 million ARC Hub for Therapeutics

- University College Dublin is partnering in the ARC Hub to turn breakthrough Irish research into therapies and companies

The (opens in a new window)ARC Hub for Therapeutics, a new €31.6 million national research initiative dedicated to fast-tracking biomedical innovation into real-world therapies and companies, was officially launched today. 

Hosted by Trinity College Dublin, in partnership with University College Dublin (UCD), and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 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.

Welcoming the launch James Lawless TD, 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.”  

Professor William Gallagher, the ARC Hub’s Academic Deputy Director and Full Professor of Cancer Biology at 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 3 leading institutions in the life sciences in Ireland, while also providing national reach to advance the indigenous therapeutics ecosystem.”

Pictured (l-r) at the launch of the ARC Hub for Therapeutics are; Prof. William Gallagher (UCD), Deputy Academic Director; Prof. Leonie Young (RCSI), Deputy Academic Director and Prof. Vincent Kelly (Trinity), Academic Director.

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.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO, Research Ireland said, “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.”

“Ireland’s universities are the engine of our innovation economy,” said Professor 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.”

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 ARC Hub’s Executive Director, who is based at NovaUCD.

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.”

The ARC 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 Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, said, “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.”

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.”

ENDS

3 December 2025

For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, NovaUCD, UCD Research and Innovation, e: (opens in a new window)miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or Cintia Marques Silva, Communications Manager, ARC Hub for Therapeutics,  e: (opens in a new window)marquesc@tcd.ie.