Some 400 jobs are to be created with the expansion of a pharmaceutical company in Co Meath.
Shire said the roles will be created at a new biotechnology plant on a 120-acre site at Piercetown as part of a 354 million euro investment.
Flemming Ornskov, chief executive of the firm, said the campus will be involved in making products to fight rare diseases and other conditions.
“We are delighted to be expanding our operations in Ireland, where we have strong existing relationships,” he said.
“The new campus in County Meath will provide necessary geographic diversification and will help us serve our growing international business.”
The build is expected to start later this year and is due to be operational by mid-2019.
Shire said it will be recruiting for highly skilled, full-time jobs in the areas of research and development, operations, technical staff, engineering and construction.
Tim Kelly, Shire’s senior vice president of technical operations, said Ireland is a strategically important location for the company.
“We already have a strong team on the ground in Ireland and believe that it is the right location for us to build a new state-of-the-art facility which will complement our existing manufacturing operations in the US,” he added.