University of Galway has been announced as the headquarters for a new €34 million investment in healthcare technology solutions under Research Ireland’s ARC Hub programme – Accelerating Research to Commercialisation.

The announcement of the ARC Hub for HealthTech was made last week by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D. and forms part of wider initiatives and funding awards to drive the commercial impact of research.

The ARC Hub for HealthTech is being led by University of Galway, in partnership with ATU and RCSI and starts with 23 research-led innovation projects selected for their strong potential to improve patient outcomes.

The landmark funding investment of €34.3 million is provided by the Government of Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to position the Northern and Western Region as a national and international leader in MedTech and connected health innovation.

Primary objective of the ARC Hub programme is to drive regional development by accelerating novel, cutting-edge research and make it ready for commercial impact while also supporting the development of entrepreneurial scientists and engineers with the skills to realise commercial opportunities from research.

The ARC Hub for HealthTech brings together clinical and commercial expertise, cutting-edge research and regional networks to develop impactful solutions to tackle chronic disease.

Its focus will be on smart implants, advanced wearable medical devices, novel sensors and AI- and machine learning-driven modelling.

The ARC Hub for HealthTech will support interdisciplinary teams, provide regulatory and market insight, accelerate clinical and commercial pathways and build partnerships with industry and healthcare stakeholders. It will act as a national testbed for innovation translation, guiding academic research teams through key steps towards commercialisation.

“The Research Ireland ARC Hub for HealthTech will help transform regional innovation and entrepreneurial training in the North West region and beyond,” Minister Lawless told the launch gathering.

“Enhancing the existing academic-enterprise healthcare and technology ecosystems, the ARC Hub will deliver a suite of impactful, on-the-ground supports, benefitting everyone in the process – researchers, engineers, technologists, manufacturers, clinicians, physicians and, critically, patients,” he added.

Pictured at the announcement of the new €34million ARC Hub for HealthTech were (from left) Prof Richard Costello, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Prof Aoife Lowery and Prof Garry Duffy, both University of Galway; Minister James Lawless; Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO, Research Ireland; Prof Suresh Pillai, ATU; Alison Ruane, Northern Western Regional Assembly; Michael McGrath, and Paddy Austin, Northern Western Regional Assembly.