Up to 50 new biotech jobs to be created in Dublin by Daybreak

Up to 50 high-end engineering jobs will be created in Dublin through a new biotech systems management company headed up by Irish expats in Silicon Valley.

Daybreak Information Technologies is the creation of Kevin Barrett, former CIO of Elan. Barrett is taking the expertise gained from 17 years of providing systems support to Elan to create a new business that will have its headquarters in Dublin.

The company currently has 33 employees, based in Ireland and Silicon Valley, and plans to expand over the coming years.

“Our five-year plan for growth includes the creation of 60 high-value jobs, the majority of which will be based in Dublin,” Mr Barrett said.

He said he had chosen Dublin as it was his hometown and he felt the Irish education system and work ethic would provide the skills the company needed.

Daybreak will act as an outsourced contractor, providing IT systems and backup to Elan and other biotech firms.

Mr Barrett said his firm has the edge over others because his staff understand the individual needs of biotech firms and concentrate solely on that area.

First client
Elan transferred its IT operations to Daybreak last April, making it the new company's first client. Elan's CEO Kelly Martin said the decision to outsource to Daybreak made sense for both companies.

“By outsourcing Elan’s IT operations to Daybreak, we retain the services of key personnel who know our business and have developed, implemented and maintained our information systems for years.”

Daybreak also provides IT services to Prothena, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibodies for the potential treatment of a broad range of diseases.

Mr Barrett said other contracts were under negotiation.

John Hartnett of the Silicon Valley-based Irish Technology Leadership Group is Daybreak's chairman.

“The biotech market is more than a $500 billion industry worldwide that is ripe for outsourcing technology services,” Mr Hartnett said.

“Daybreak offers unique end-to-end technology solutions for major global corporations like Elan as well as scaling biotech companies.