The facility is part of a five-year, €5m signature innovation partnership between Medtronic and the university.
US and Irish medical device company Medtronic and the University of Galway have launched their Medical Device Prototype Hub, a specialist facility designed to support the medtech ecosystem, STEM engagement and research.
Development of the hub, which belongs to the university’s new Technology Services Directorate, is part of a five-year, €5m signature innovation partnership between Medtronic and the university.
Professor David Burn, the president of the university, said: “The launch of the Medical Device Prototype Hub at University of Galway marks a hugely significant milestone in our signature partnership with Medtronic, but it also sends a strong message to all those in the sector and all those who are driving innovation.
“University of Galway is creating the ecosystem in which our partners in research and innovation can thrive. We look forward to celebrating the breakthroughs and successes that this initiative enables.”
The Medical Device Prototype Hub forms part of the Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation, which was established at the university in 2024.
It will be further supported via collaborations with government agencies and industry leaders, aiming to create a collaborative environment that promotes innovation and regional growth in life sciences and medical technologies.
The university said that the hub has a range of expert staff to facilitate concept creation, development and manufacturing of innovative medical device prototypes.
It offers a suite of services to support early-stage medical device innovation – for example, virtual and physical prototyping – that enables rapid design iteration through computer aided design, modelling and simulation.
“The Technology Services Directorate brings together key research facilities that support fundamental research at University of Galway,” said Aoife Duffy, the head of the directorate.
“It aims to advance our research excellence by bringing together state-of-the-art core facilities and making strategic decisions on infrastructure and investment. The new prototype hub significantly enhances the innovation pathway available for the university research community and wider, and we look forward to working with Medtronic on this partnership.”
Ronan Rogers, senior R&D director at Medtronic, added: “Today’s launch of the Medical Device Prototype Hub represents an exciting next step in our long‑standing partnership with University of Galway. Medtronic has deep roots in the west of Ireland, and this facility strengthens a shared commitment to advancing research, accelerating innovation and developing the next generation of medical technologies.
“We are proud to invest in an ecosystem that not only drives technological progress but also supports talent development. This hub will unlock new avenues for discovery and accelerate the path from promising ideas to real‑world medical solutions for patients.”
Just last week (27 January), two University of Galway projects won proof-of-concept grants from the European Research Council. One of the winning Galway projects is called Concept-AM and is being led by Prof Ted Vaughan, who is also involved with the new hub.
Concept-AM aims to advance software that enables engineers to design lighter, stronger and more efficient components optimised for 3D printing across biomedical, automotive and aerospace applications, creating complex and lightweight parts with less material waste.
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