As part of the planned expansion, the company also has hired Siobhan Gaynor to head the new office, which will be located at DCU Invent on the Dublin City University Campus.
Headquartered in Crewe, UK, Boyds expanded into new premises outside Cambridge last year and currently employs 20 staff members. The company serves several clients outside of the EU, in the US, Australia, and Canada.
Professor Alan Boyd, CEO of Boyds, said the company needed to establish an office outside of the UK ahead of the country’s planned departure from the European Union (EU) next month.
“Brexit has been very confusing for businesses. Nobody really knows the final outcomes of Brexit, so our decision to open the office in Dublin has been a bit of an insurance policy,” Boyd told us.
“Companies outside of the EU find it difficult to navigate the complex EU systems, for example, there is a consistent approach to medicines regulations across the EU, in particular, orphan drugs and pharmacovigilance, but the authorization and oversight of a clinical trial is the responsibility of the member state in which the trial is taking place. Brexit has now added more complexity to this,” he added.
The company also has several clients in Ireland, which Boyd said is an attractive location due to its favorable business environment and accessibility to the UK.
“There are a lot of business opportunities in Ireland, which our Dublin office will provide us with easier access to, as well enabling us to recruit skilled individuals,” explained Boyd, adding that the company is in the process of recruiting further regulatory professionals.