Zenith Technologies are proud sponsors of the Pharma Awards 2015.

The prestigious awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 22 October in the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin. The awards programme recognises the contribution of indigenous and multinational pharmaceutical companies in Ireland.

Ireland is one of the leading locations in Europe for the pharmaceutical industry. Nine of the ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have a base here.

The sector now employs more than 24,500 people. Ireland is now the largest net exporter of pharmaceuticals in the EU. We exported €55bn worth of pharma/bio/chem produce in 2012.

Ireland’s unique blend of talent, collaboration between the university and the industry and our track record has made us a global leader.

The Pharma Awards will honour the resulting excellence from such talent and are an opportunity to acknowledge the globally significant achievements of Irish pharma organisations.

Guests at the ceremony include Ireland’s leading figures in the pharma industry and its supporters. The awards ceremony will highlight the achievements of the leading companies in the industry. With an impressive nine nominations, Pfizer are the ones to beat and MSD have seven nominations.

As well as honouring the efforts of such industry giants, there are also nominations for smaller Irish companies. Eirechrom and Q1 Scientific have both been nominated for Start-Up of the Year as they are Irish companies who are making an impact in the industry.

The Start-Up of the Year award is a popular award designed to boost the profile of innovative new companies.

Previous winner Darren Cunningham, CEO at Inflection Bio Sciences said: "Being named Start Up Company of the Year was a great bonus for Inflection Biosciences.

"We certainly enjoyed a great profile in Ireland as a result of the award, which was most welcome.

"These awards shine a light on the courage, passion and commitment of those involved in it."

The award ceremony will also recognise education in the sector by focusing on the need to update skills to stay relevant and creating the next-generation of pharma leaders.

Trinity, WIT and NibRTt have been nominated for their research, as well as educating Irish students to the highest possible standards.

Zenith Technologies CEO Brendan O’Regan said: "We are delighted to be involved with the Pharma Awards this year. Ireland is a major hub of the pharma industry.

"Zenith, a key enabler for Pharma companies, is eliminating risks around implementation of manufacturing execution systems, automation and computer systems validation.

"There is a lot of value in recognising organisations who have contributed to our success in the pharma industry."

A key factor in the success of the awards programme is the distinguished panel of judges. The judging panel consists of a panel of industry experts that look at each entry and grade it on various topics.

The judges include lecturers for national universities and representatives of IBEC who work on the field every day and can identify unique achievements.

Judging co-ordinator Matt Moran said: "The awards are a great opportunity to celebrate all the great work that we are doing as an industry, no more hiding our light under a bushel!"

If you would like to attend the event, show your support and network with influential people, please check the website for more details.