Biopharmaceutical Processing - Sligo

Course Overview

Funded Springboard+ places for September 2025 have now been filled. This course is open for fee paying applications.



The Certificate in Science Biopharmaceutical Processing (Special Purpose Award – Level 7) has been developed in consultation with the Biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland to ensure the course offers the skills and experience that is required for this growing industry sector in Ireland. The course has been developed and is offered in conjunction with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training) with all of the laboratory work taking place at their state-of-the-art training facility in Dublin.



Please note: This programme is jointly offered by ATU Sligo and NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training).

Modules:

Cell Culture Processing Level 7

Facilities and Utilities

Protein Purification L7

Formulation and Fill-Finish

To qualify for entry onto this programme a standard applicant must hold a prior Level 6 qualification in a cognate area (typically Science or Engineering) or equivalent qualification. Applicants who may not have the aforementioned qualifications but who may have relevant industrial experience (typically 5 years duration in a GMP environment) may apply for consideration through the ATU Sligo RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) process.

This course has closed for applications for September 2025.



Flexible learning courses are popular, and they fill on a first come, first served basis. There are two major intake periods throughout the academic year, September and January.



For January start courses, applications typically open in October, and for September start courses, applications typically open in February. Closing dates for applications are listed on the individual course webpage.

60

1 year part-time, online delivery.



Recommended Study Hours per week

Our online courses have about 3 hours of live lectures per week (but this can vary per programme). Live lectures normally take place between 6pm and 10pm, Monday to Thursday but this may vary depending on the availability of specific lecturers. The recommended study time for a 5 credit module is 5 to 6 hours each week. This includes lectures, independent learning and revision.



On-Campus Attendance Requirement

Students are required to attend NIBRT for two days practical training per semester for the Cell Culture and the Protein Purification modules.

Total €6,000

Start Date: September 2025.

Careers

Graduates from the Certificate in Biopharmaceutical Processing are ideally positioned to contribute to the Biopharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Diagnostics, Medical Device and Pharmaceutical sectors.



According to the NIBRT annual report 2021, “The global sales of biologics exceeded $300 billion in 2021 with 13 of the top 20 medicines being biologics. From an Irish perspective, the biopharma manufacturing sector enjoyed very strong growth. IDA Irelands annual results for 2021 showed the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) employment level ever (275,384 employees) with the highest employment creation figures ever in a single year despite the continued impact of Covid-19. Underpinning these results was a strong series of announcements in the biopharma manufacturing sector. Access to a diverse talent pool with a broad range of multi-disciplinary skills will be a key determinant of future success. In 2021, the Financial Times working with Cytiva published the inaugural Global Biopharma Resilience Index . Based on data from a survey of 1,165 biopharma executives from 20 countries, access to talent was identified as the primary weakness in the resilience of the global biopharma industry.”



We have consulted extensively with biopharmaceutical employers located both regionally and nationally to determine the types of skills and training needs required for this sector and all have indicated that there are skills shortages emerging in certain areas and occupations. A highly skilled pool of graduates will be needed to fill these roles and this course addresses this area.



Progression

This self-contained minor award enables learners to exit with a Certificate or progress to complete a full level 7 degree in Biopharmaceutical Science.