Global healthcare corporation GE Healthcare has joined Intel and University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and NUI Galway by investing in the Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) Centre. TRIL is a ground-breaking research initiative, founded in January 2007 by Intel and IDA Ireland, to explore the physical, cognitive and social consequences of ageing and design technologies to help address them.
The TRIL Clinic is based at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. More than 600 older people have been assessed at the clinic in the past three years, and a large number have participated in the TRIL technology home deployment programme. The commitment of GE Healthcare will enable TRIL to expand the pool of participants and build on the accomplishments of the first three years. The addition of GE Healthcare as an industry partner supports TRIL’s strategic vision of securing additional industry partners, from SMEs to multinational companies, such as GE and Intel, to advance its important research effort.
“We are excited about welcoming a new industry partner with the technology expertise and stellar reputation of GE Healthcare,” said Dr Brian Caulfield, academic director of the TRIL Centre of the $3m investment. “Their focus on innovative thinking and commitment to improving healthcare while reducing costs will make them a valuable contributor to our research efforts.”
Commenting on the announcement, Agnes Berzsenyi, general manager of GE Healthcare’s Home Health business, said: “We are delighted to be part of the TRIL Centre and to be involved in the ground-breaking research being done there. The world is getting older and this is presenting enormous healthcare challenges in the care of elderly citizens and the prevention and management of chronic disease. We are looking forward to working with TRIL to drive innovation in this emerging area and ultimately transforming the lives of elderly citizens.”
By Deirdre Nolan
