Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Boehringer Ingelheim, a global research-driven pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company based in Germany, will expand its Animal Health Global Innovation center in Athens, Georgia. The $57 million investment will increase laboratory space and bring additional research and development capabilities and activities, including 55 new positions, to the site.

“Boehringer Ingelheim has been a fantastic member of our Georgia Life Sciences community, and we are so excited to see them continue to choose Georgia to grow,” said Governor Kemp. “Georgia’s university system provides the talent life science companies want, and our pro-business environment combined with our commitment to innovation continues to create opportunities for hardworking Georgians across the state.”

As a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on three business areas: Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. The company manufactures well-respected and widely used vaccines, parasite-control products, and therapeutics for pets, horses, and livestock.

“Our new and expanded space has been specifically designed to encourage closer connections between teams and colleagues. After working in a distanced or virtual manner for so many months, we all have a much greater appreciation for the power of both formal and spontaneous collaboration,” explained Caroline Belmont, US Head of Global Innovation. “The significant investment in expanding and enhancing our Athens Global Innovation site will provide not only a comfortable and flexible physical space that inspires collaboration, but also will bring many new tools and technologies to spark the innovation that will ultimately help improve animal and human wellbeing.”

Construction began recently on a new 63,000-square-foot facility, located at 1730 Olympic Drive in Athens, that will connect two existing buildings currently housing laboratory and administrative space, along with a 5,000-square-foot expansion and partial renovation of existing Global Innovation facilities in Athens. The new facility is slated to be complete in spring 2024. When complete, the expansion will bring Boehringer Ingelheim’s Global Innovation footprint in Athens to nearly 115,000 square feet and accommodate an additional 55 research and development positions at the site. Visit the company’s U.S. Careers page to learn about research and development opportunities at Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health business and its Athens, Georgia, site.

Sustainability has been considered throughout the design process and numerous sustainable features will be included in the new Global Innovation facility. The new building and expansion will feature significant use of natural light in offices, laboratories, and collaboration spaces, with floor to ceiling windows in many areas. Construction debris will be segregated to facilitate recycling or disposal as appropriate.

“Boehringer Ingelheim’s expansion in Athens-Clarke County demonstrates their ongoing commitment to innovation, engagement, and talent development in our community that reflects the company’s global leadership in animal and human health,” said Mayor Kelly Girtz. “Boehringer Ingelheim recognizes the strength of Athens-Clarke County as a bioscience and research hub with vibrant quality of life, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Since 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim has invested more than $100 million in its Georgia facilities and grown its employment in the state by more than 200, including its vaccine-manufacturing and research site in Athens, its US headquarters office in Duluth, and its poultry vaccine-manufacturing site in Gainesville. The company employs more than 1,200 people in Georgia between the sites. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health business has deep roots in the U.S. From a start in St. Joseph, Missouri, more than 100 years ago, it has grown to encompass seven sites, including the three in Georgia.

Director of Life Sciences EJane Caraway represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department and Georgia Power.

“Through the successful growth and addition of companies like Boehringer Ingelheim, Georgia continues to establish itself as a growing hub for research and innovation within the life sciences industry,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Boehringer Ingelheim has long been an important part of our life sciences community in Georgia, leveraging innovative connections and resources across the University System of Georgia to perform cutting-edge research into the prevention and treatment of animal diseases. It is always exciting to celebrate growth within an important existing industry, but even more gratifying when the work being done in Georgia could potentially have such a far reaching impact.”

There are more than 2,200 clinical trials recruiting or underway in Georgia. From 2014 through 2017, there were 547 patents awarded to applicants from Georgia for drugs and pharmaceuticals. In 2021, Georgia exported $3.2 billion in immunological products and $1.9 billion in medical devices and pharmaceuticals.