The Future of Life Sciences: The Impact of AI & Digital Transformation

The life sciences industry is undergoing a significant change and LSC’s Sales Manager, Aoife Kiely explores the transformative impact of AI and digital tarnsformation on our industry. She shares what these changes mean for both consultants and clients, and how both are adapting to this new reality.

What does the market look currently?

Super busy! The market is exceptionally busy and it’s going to continue to be busy. We’re really lucky in Ireland with the IDA having such a strong track record of FDI investment from the multinational companies in Ireland. There are billions worth of investment ongoing in Ireland currently. You have the likes of Lilly, Pfizer, MSD and Bristol Myers Squibb all building new facilities, solidifying their continued commitment to Ireland.

However, what we do predict and what we can see is that there may be a slowdown in that capital / construction investment in Ireland due to political factors and offshoring. For example, Lilly are investing $5.3 billion in one site alone in the USA. Similarly, Novo Nordisk in Denmark are keeping a high level of their investment locally and there is approx. 10-12 billion of ongoing investment in Denmark. Both are investing locally in their own home countries, but we are also getting the benefit of it too with Lilly having two huge facilities here in Ireland and with Novo Nordisk purchasing a site from Alkermes in Athlone. So, there is investment coming to us.

Where we will see the biggest growth and the biggest investment going forward in Ireland is more around AI, digital transformation and technological changes. With that, there’s going to be huge number of retrofits, upgrades, and changes in facilities which will bring huge opportunities for contractors and people here locally.

Ireland is really at the forefront of digital transformation and AI implementation. Amgen’s Dublin facility, for instance, is a center of excellence for NPIs (New Product Introductions) and tech transfers. This strong experience and leadership in these areas will continue to grow in the future.

What changes are going to have the biggest impact on the sector and what impact does it have on candidates and consultants?

Change really seems to be the only constant lately, and I think it’s going to be the only constant forever more. The pace of change within the industry is phenomenal and digitalisation and AI is really taking over. It’s all very new and with our clients it’s new to them too. At the moment, they are making it up as they go along. They obviously have evidence-based research and strong decision making skills, but in reality they are paving a pathway for their sites. They’re trying to define the scope of how digitalisation and AI can support their facilities. They’re trying to build the knowledge within the teams and the skills. This is all hugely disruptive and it’s all very new to people. So, what does that all mean then for our candidates and consultants?

I guess the people that are going to be successful in this new era of disruption are those who can not only manage ambiguity but also have the ability to cut through it. Essentially, having that ability to see the bigger picture, think holistically, and deliver business solutions. It’s crucial to remember that bringing the people within the organisation along is just as important. Therefore, soft skills like communication, engagement, and the ability to guide and inspire others will be key.

How do you foresee the nature of contract roles changing and what skills or capabilities are our clients looking for? 

The landscape is changing and contracting in the future is going to look very different, or I suppose the traditional skills that we’ve known today are going to have to evolve and will look different going forward.

People are worried about AI and digitalisation. A government report came out a few weeks backs which mentioned that 30% of roles are at risk as a result of AI. However, what wasn’t shining through on that report was the huge opportunity that AI and digitalisation will bring. Roles going forward will be much more specialised, so those skill sets and capabilities within, SME roles, Project Managers, experts in digitalisation, people having that strong understanding of data analytics is going to be crucial.

And when we talk about data analytics, up until recently, in the last 12 or 18 months, data analytics has transitioned from being a separate department to becoming integral to every role. We attended the NIBRT careers fair in April and there were examples given of people working in lab roles, QC analysts really now having to look at the data being generated by the tests and make those decisions on what that means. Decisions and people making decisions isn’t going to change. People are going to still be stuck right in the middle of all these processes, but it’s the ability to understand the data being produced by the AI and make quick decisions based on the data being presented.

Additionally, decision-making skills and the ability to interpret data must be complemented by strong communication skills and engagement abilities. Moving forward, individuals will need to engage effectively at both local and global levels, collaborating with everyone from the shop floor to the C-Suite. Everything is going to become much more joined up and, in this attempt to join it up, it’ll feel disconnected in the short term until people are all on the same page. Therefore, the ability to pave a clear path for progress, energise teams, and ensure alignment will be essential for success.