Commissioner opens new medical research facility
A new €7.7m customer innovation centre has been opened by European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn in Ireland.
The Commission member responsible for research, innovation and science unveiled the new Customer Innovation Centre run by Medtronic in Galway in southern Ireland which will enable engineers and visiting doctors to collaborate. The facility will help researchers develop new therapies and future technology that will aim to improve clinical outcomes and increase access to quality healthcare.
Barry O’Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland, which part-funded the new centre, said: “Medtronic is a global leader in the development of medical devices. Their new Customer Innovation Centre is hugely important in terms of positioning Ireland internationally as a centre of excellence for innovation and R&D in the medical technology space. The choice of Galway as the location of this strategically important centre for Medtronic is a significant endorsement of Ireland’s business environment and talented workforce.”
The facility includes the latest digital communication technology for global networking, 3D printing facilities to prototype new ideas and extensive training and education facilities. The centre also includes hybrid, demonstration and collaboration labs that will allow visitors to get hands-on experience with the company’s latest technologies. As many as 500 physicians and customers are expected to visit the centre every year.
Medtronic is one of the world’s largest medical technology companies and is based in Minneapolis in the State of Minnesota, USA.
