Company Expansion Will Bring 260 New Jobs to RTP

Premier Research, a global contract research organization, will create 260 high-paying jobs and build a $4.1 million operations center in the Research Triangle Park over the next five years.

The new hires will include project managers, clinical monitors, data managers and others who will support customers throughout North America. The jobs will pay an average salary of $73,296, plus benefits, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

“Access to first-rate talent, the ability to work with highly innovative companies, and superb higher education resources drew us to Research Triangle Park, and the area continues to impress us as a great place to do business,” said Ludo Reynders, Ph.D., CEO of Premier Research. “This will greatly increase our footprint in a community that is a vital center of the medical research industry.”

Reynders is well known in North Carolina life science leadership circles as the former CEO at AAIPharma and a longtime executive at Quintiles.

Premier Research, established in 1989, is based in Wokingham, England, 40 miles west of London. It first opened an office in RTP in 2010 at One Park Drive, near Davis Drive and Interstate 40, where 62 employees currently work. It also has U.S. operations in Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Conn., and Philadelphia, the site of its North American headquarters.

“Premier Research brings an innovative global edge to the discovery of new drugs and treatments through its world-class science and customer-focused business models,” said North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory.

The state has pledged up to $2.58 million in incentives through its Job Development Investment Grant program, which reimburses companies for costs associated with job creation. Payments will be made in annual installments over 12 years as the company meets job creation and investment targets. Durham County is also expected to provide smaller incentives.

Premier Research employs about 1,000 people and operates in 84 countries. It helps biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies execute clinical development programs to bring new medical treatments, diagnostics and devices to the market. It focuses on analgesia, the central nervous system, rare diseases, medical devices and diagnostics, and pediatric research.

“North Carolina is the birthplace and undisputed leader of the contract research industry with over 130 companies like Premier Research operating here,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary John Skvarla III. “They are here because of our global accessibility, moderate costs and outstanding life science workforce.”

Several entities were involved in Premier Research’s recruitment: the Department of Commerce , the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the state General Assembly, the N.C. Community College System, Durham County, the Durham Workforce Development Board, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.