From left: 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
The new investment will be used to support the University of Galway’s range of STEM programmes and new research projects.
The University of Galway and medtech company Medtronic have entered a five-year partnership to advance healthcare technology.
The agreement includes an investment of €5m by Medtronic to expand the university’s focus on medtech and progress its current range of STEM programmes. The investment will also create early-stage seed funding for collaborative research projects.
The two organisations said the partnership will also support two research institutes at the university.
The first that will be supported is the Institute for Clinical Trials, which aims to improve patient outcomes in Ireland and was launched by the University of Galway in May. The second institute is still in development and will focus on medical technologies and advanced therapeutics.
The new partnership was announced at a special event at the National University of Ireland in Dublin. At this event, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, said the partnership will have “significant impact” for Galway and Ireland.
“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,” Harris said.
Medtronic chair and CEO Geoff Martha said the organisation hopes the investment into the university will “pave the way for long-term, meaningful effects” on both patient outcomes and economic growth.
“Medtronic has a wealth of technologies at our disposal, but we can’t do it alone – a highly-educated and skilled workforce is critical to pioneering the treatments of tomorrow,” Martha said. “Graduates of University of Galway play an important role in many facets of Medtronic’s operations, and I’m certain that students involved in this partnership will go on to create life-transforming advancements in healthcare technology.”
Medtronic has worked with the University of Galway in the past. In 2021, the multinational provided funding to support pandemic research at the university, along with local initiatives in Galway.
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