PRESS RELEASE

Young Social Innovators and biopharmaceutical company AbbVie have joined forces in a unique partnership designed to foster innovation exchanges between those working for the company and young people from surrounding communities.

Students from St Mark’s Community School in Tallaght were welcomed to AbbVie’s plant in Liffey Valley, Dublin recently to exchange ideas with employees based there on how innovative thinking is making a difference in the workplace as well as in schools and local communities.

The students are taking part in the Young Social Innovators’ Action Programme, which challenges young people across Ireland to use their creativity to bring positive change to an issue affecting them or their communities. They do this using a unique framework for social innovation designed by Young Social Innovators.

In addition to being given a tour of the AbbVie plant, students attended information sessions with AbbVie teams to witness how innovation was being used in all sectors of their business. AbbVie employees then heard of the innovative actions the students were taking to address the social issues of particular concern to them. During a workshop led by a YSI facilitator, the biopharmaceutical company employees worked together with the students from St. Mark’s Community School combining creative forces to achieve even greater impact.

The Innovation Exchange sessions are designed to benefit all those participating. Young people have the opportunity to learn more about the work of the company or business and how innovation is brought to bear to improve outcomes and reach goals.  Companies who become involved have the opportunity to engage with young people locally and get to understand how social innovation is helping to bring positive change to local areas and unique skills to the young people that practice it.

Mary Prunty, a teacher and YSI Guide at St. Mark’s Community School said, “The exchange was a wonderful opportunity for students to discover how innovation is integral to business success. It was fascinating for them to witness the synergies between social, science and business innovation. The students received a wonderful welcome from the staff at AbbVie and really enjoyed collaborating with them in the unique setting of the AbbVie plant.”

Communications Coordinator with AbbVie, Justin Ryan said “we enthusiastically welcomed the students from St. Mark’s in Tallaght to our offices as it gives AbbVie the opportunity to expand young peoples’ horizons to career opportunities they may not have thought about before and to explain the diverse range of roles within a company like ours. In return the students taught us about issues concerning them through the presentation of their social innovation project. This was a valuable opportunity for AbbVie employees to learn about societal issues facing young people these days and it was a real eye opener for many.”     

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Young Social Innovators, Rachel Collier, commended AbbVie on the initiative and said: “We are delighted to be partnering with AbbVie in this unique way and to be facilitating meaningful exchanges that offer many benefits for both the young people and AbbVie employees. We are extremely grateful to all of those who have volunteered to share their expertise and experience with these young people and I have no doubt that they have been similarly inspired by these incredible students who are helping to reimagine our society as a more fairer and equal place.”

Todd Manning, AbbVie’s General Manager in Ireland, said: “As a committed corporate citizen, AbbVie collaborates with partners to contribute in our communities. For us, one of the ways we can do this is by engaging with students to encourage the exchange of ideas and knowledge. We are an innovation-focused company and we are delighted to be able to help young people utilise innovation to create a better future for themselves and their local communities.”

ENDS

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott. It employs more than 400 people at five manufacturing and commercial sites across Ireland. The company’s commercial headquarters is based in Dublin as is a separate international manufacturing and engineering services centre. AbbVie has two manufacturing plants in Sligo, employing more than 200 people, and one in Cork.

The AbbVie site at Manorhamilton Road in Sligo was established in 2002 and AbbVie recently invested €85million at this site to expand its manufacturing operations in support of the company’s pipeline in the key therapeutic areas of liver disease, oncology and women’s health. 

The company’s mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world’s most complex and serious diseases. AbbVie employs approximately 25,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries.

For further information on the company and its people, portfolio and commitments, please visit www.abbvie.com.  Follow @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on the company’s Facebook or LinkedIn pages.