University Of Galway and Medtronic announce €5m partnership to advance healthcare
University of Galway president Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, Minister Simon Harris, TD, Medtronic chair and CEO Geoff Martha and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton. Image: Julien Behal Photography
by Rebekah O’Reilly
Global healthcare leader Medtronic has collaborated with the University of Galway in a landmark partnership which aims to develop the MedTech ecosystem, STEM and research.
The package, which is worth a total of €5 million, will enable significant expansion of the University’s MedTech ecosystem and progress its current range of STEM programmes, and offer access to early-stage funding for new collaborative research projects.
The partnership is also set to develop the establishment of two new research institutes at University of Galway. The first being the new Institute for Clinical Trials, which was launched in May 2023, and the second being an institute focused on medical technologies and advanced therapeutics.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris T.D. said:
“This ambitious, five-year, campus-wide partnership will significantly advance their existing collaboration, and will also help to launch bold new initiatives that will have significant impact for Galway, Ireland, and the world.
“Ireland’s place at the vanguard of healthcare technology development is secured by investing in the next generation of talent, in tandem with collaborations like this that bring industry, clinicians and academics together to pioneer treatments of the future.”
The new University of Galway-Medtronic partnership, which has come as part of a long standing relationship between the University and the medical tech giant, is said to ensure Galway is attractive to global talent and advancing basic and applied medical technologies research at the highest level to help more patients.
President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh noted his excitement about the upcoming partnership sharing:
“This landmark partnership that is being announced today is a fitting complement to our values, which we live and work by, respect for patients, excellence in everything we do, openness in and for the world, sustaining the next generation.
“We welcome the opportunity to expand our relationship with Medtronic as we pursue learning, research and innovation with a commitment to making a difference locally and globally. We are both organisations committed to impact with purpose, with and for people in profound need.”
