The investment will create 135 high value jobs over the next three years and is being supported by the Gaeltach Authority (Údáras na Gaeltachta), the regional state agency which is responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of nominally Irish-speaking (Gaeltacht) regions of the Republic of Ireland.

Crumlin-based Randox research, manufacture and market all of their own products and services. The Donegal plant will make a range of products including the monza clinical analyser and biochips for clinical and research applications. The biochips will be used in hospitals worldwide to aid in the diagnosis of disease conditions.

The company also plans to develop an R&D team in the facility. Randox place a strong emphasis on R&D with 30 per cent of annual revenue being re-invested into research. The company said its focus on R&D highlighted its vision to revolutionise healthcare through continuously improving diagnostic solutions. The research team will focus on the further development of new diagnostic products for the global healthcare market.

Randox managing director Dr Peter Fitzgerald said: "We chose Dungloe for this expansion because of the high quality facility that was available, the highly educated workforce and the suitable infrastructure.

"We are excited about this expansion and hope it will increase the local economy's success by providing a range of professional employment opportunities.

"We hope this will also aid in our mission to improve diagnostic solutions on a continual basis,'' he added.

Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, announcing the investment said: "This decision by Randox, a world leader in the revolutionary area of diagnostics biochips, to locate a manufacturing facility in Dungloe is tremendous news for the area and for the Donegal Gaeltacht. The decision by the company to place such a sophisticated and technologically advanced operation here shows a huge vote of confidence in the workforce and in the area in general.''

Randox was established in 1982 and employs over 600 people near Crumlin. It has sales and distribution agreements in 130 countries.

Randox was the first company in the world to produce an automated protein biochip, used for multi-analyte testing. The biochips allow clinicians and researchers to screen for multiple conditions in a single patient blood sample. The company also manufactures a range of clinical chemistry analysers which are used to examine patient blood samples to aid accurate diagnosis.