AIB has signed an agreement to sell its investment subsidiary, AIB Asset Management Holdings (Ireland), which includes AIB Investment Managers (AIBIM) to South African asset management company, Prescient Holdings, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012. AIB said the positive impact on the group’s capital position as a result of the transaction is not material. Irish Life & Permanent withdrew its preferred bid for the unit in April. Grainne Rothery

The firm, which already employs over 100 people in Dublin, is to expand its Irish presence by establishing a new R&D team in the capital, creating 35 new jobs. This investment is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland. Today’s announcement will see the company establish a dedicated R&D team of 25 people creating high value positions for software engineering professionals. In addition 10 software consultancy roles will also be created. The roles will be for highly skilled software engineering professionals with a degree and/or masters in computer science. Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD said: “A key part of this government’s strategy…

Point-of-care diagnostics company Biosensia has secured funding of €1.2m which will enable it to pursue regulatory approval and advance its commercial partnership strategy in Europe and the US. Headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin, Biosensia employs five people and intends to increase staff numbers to 15 by 2013 as part of its commercialisation strategy. There is a significant unmet need for more convenient, accurate and affordable point of care solutions, and Biosensia is poised to become a major player in the development of next-generation, point of care diagnostic products, according to CEO Diarmuid Flavin.  Biosensia’s platform, RapiPlex, is a point of care in vitro diagnostics platform. It enables the transition of…

Winner of the NovaUCD 2011 Start-Up Award, pharmaceutical research and technologies company APC plans to create 20 high-skill jobs in the next two years. The company was co-founded earlier this year by Professor Brian Glennon and Dr. Mark Barrett as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering and already included many of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world on its client list. It provides pharmaceutical processing technologies and customized solutions to pharmaceutical companies that require the delivery of their medicines to the global market in a lean, reliable, and robust manner. APC has already hired three permanent, PhD-qualified engineers and chemists.  Most of the 20 jobs…

Twenty new jobs are being created through the launch of a new concept called ‘skinflint’ from Irish company Jo’burger. Joe Macken set up Jo’Burger in 2007 and following examinership in 2009, was joined by John Roberts as a business partner. The business grew from then on to now employing under 100 people altogether. Based in Temple Bar at 19 Crane Lane, skinflint will open for trade on 14 November and the product concept won’t be disclosed until the first customer crosses the threshold. The concept will be promoted using Twitter and the first 500 customers will be served free of charge. 19 Crane Lane was previously the setting for Dublin’s…