New £8m research facility for Antrim

Fortress Diagnostics says that the brand new custom-built 30,000 sq ft facility will be a centre for research, development and manufacturing that will support the delivery of over 1,000 diagnostic testing products to more than 100 international markets.

The new facility which is due to open early next year will host cutting edge laboratories utilising the latest technology for medical diagnostics.

The investment will also see the company double its workforce in Antrim over the next three years with new roles expected to be created in scientific research and development, production and commercial operations.

Morteza Afrasiabi, managing director of Fortress Diagnostics, said: “Over the past 19 years, our highly skilled scientific team has focused on researching, developing and manufacturing innovative quality diagnostic kits to enable healthcare practitioners across the globe to accurately diagnose often life-changing conditions.

“Due to our continued success we have now outgrown our current facility and this expansion will allow us to increase our manufacturing capacity to meet a significant increase in customer demand.

“The investment in new technologies will also provide our R&D team with the opportunity to place a strong focus on new product development.”

Rosita Zolnourian, operations director, added: “This is an exciting time for Fortress Diagnostics.

“We are looking forward to moving to our new headquarters and expanding our team, which will no doubt contribute to the continuing growth of our company.”