Medtronic is at an ‘interesting point’ regarding the overlap of digital and traditional medtech, said its senior R&D director Ronan Rogers.
US-headquartered medical manufacturing equipment company Medtronic is expanding its R&D capabilities in Galway, hiring 200 new staff.
Medtronic already has a significant presence in Galway dating back several decades. Its operations and R&D centre in Galway’s Parkmore Business Park supports its global cardiac and vascular businesses.
Recruitment for the new R&D roles has already begun, with some of the roles already filled. Medtronic hopes to have all the new hires in place by early next year.
According to Ronan Rogers, senior R&D director at Medtronic Galway, many of the roles are strongly leaning into tech and ICT as the company sets out its plan to further advance its healthcare products.
“Traditionally, we would have had a lot of activity in the cardiovascular space, but now we’re branching out into other areas,” he told SiliconRepublic.com.
“We’re getting into some new spaces like the treatment of hypertension, which causes heart disease; the treatment of spinal injuries is another new area that we have research and development activity happening in as well.”
There will be roles across all levels, from graduate-level to senior. Rogers said this recruitment drive would be focused on dipping further into the “fabulous talent pool in this country” not just in the medtech space but also in the ICT and pharmaceutical sectors.
Ronan Rogers. Image: Medtronic
According to Rogers, Medtronic is at “a very interesting point” regarding the convergence of digital tech and traditional medtech. This is something that applies across the entire medtech industry, he believes.
Future developments in the treatment of patients will require “different types of skillsets, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence”. The new jobs will be across these areas, Rogers said.
New hires will be able to work flexibly, however, they will be expected to be available to come onsite in Galway when necessary. Rogers said that, while new technology and ways of working have allowed for R&D professionals to do a certain amount of remote work, in-person sessions are preferred when it comes to innovation and collaboration.
As well as the cardiac and vascular R&D centre, Galway is the site for Medtronic’s customer innovation centre and its respiratory and monitoring operations. The company has another R&D centre in Athlone, Co Westmeath alongside a manufacturing site focused on airways products.
Medtronic’s Irish headquarters and principal executive offices are in Dublin city. Dublin is also the location for the company’s customer contact centre in City West.
“There’s a sense of purpose there in terms of what we do every day, which makes it easier to attract talent and ultimately retain talent,” Rogers concluded.
More information on the roles available at Medtronic can be found on its website.
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