City firm to fore of new healthcare research

EU Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn officially opened Medtronic’s new Customer Innovation Centre in Galway this week.

The new €7.7 million centre provides state-of-the-art facilities for physicians and Medtronic engineers to work together on developing new therapies that will improve clinical outcomes, provide economic value and increase access to quality healthcare for patients around the world.

It includes Hybrid, Demonstration and Collaboration Labs that will provide the best environment for visitors to get hands-on experience with the company’s latest technologies, and where physicians and Medtronic engineers will be able to work together on future technology developments.

The facility also includes the latest digital communication technology for global networking, 3D printing facilities to prototype new ideas and extensive training and education facilities. As many as 500 physicians and customers are expected to visit the centre every year.

Medtronic Galway, which employs 2,000 people, is considered a centre of excellence for the development and manufacture of a number of the company’s key medical technologies for the treatment of cardiovascular and cardiac rhythm disease.

The new Customer Innovation Centre, which was officially opened on Tuesday, will be managed by existing resources and no new jobs are being created. Over 90 people were employed in the construction of the Centre.

Gerard Kilcommins, vice president, Global Vascular Operations and general manager of Medtronic’s Galway Site, said that this investment is based on the success of the current customer programme that has been running at the Galway facility for a number of years.

“At Medtronic, collaboration is the key to innovation.  Each year millions of patients benefit from therapies that are the result of collaboration with physicians, scientists and engineers who are passionate about advancing medical technology. 

For more see this week’s City Tribune