University of Galway at the heart of a global MedTech hub
Deeply connected internationally and open to the world
Galway has firmly established itself as a leading global MedTech hub, with a thriving ecosystem of industry, research, clinical expertise and innovation.
Purpose: Innovation for Health
Galway’s MedTech ecosystem delivers innovations that improve patient outcomes around the world, while supporting a dynamic and resilient industry at home. Innovation for Health is one of the University’s four research pillars, reflecting our ambition to translate research excellence into solutions that improve health and transform patient care.
People: A collaborative MedTech ecosystem
People are at the heart of everything. Galway’s MedTech ecosystem thrives on openness and collaboration, bringing together academia, industry, healthcare professionals and patients to co-create solutions that matter. University of Galway plays a central role in developing the talent, research and entrepreneurial expertise needed to sustain this ecosystem.
Place: Galway, a global MedTech hub
Galway is one of Europe’s leading MedTech hubs. Eight of the world’s top ten MedTech companies have a physical presence here, alongside a growing ecosystem of indigenous companies and start-ups. Ireland ranks as the second-largest exporter of medical devices in Europe, producing 80% of the world’s stents and 50% of the world’s ventilators.
Our MedTech ecosystem
Galway’s strength as a MedTech hub comes from the connections between research, clinical practice, industry and entrepreneurship. University of Galway sits at the heart of this ecosystem, working with MedTech companies, healthcare organisations and research partners to develop, test, trial and translate new technologies.
This ecosystem has been decades in the making. What began with international investment and manufacturing has evolved into a thriving ecosystem of global companies, local suppliers and indigenous innovators. University of Galway has grown with and shaped that ecosystem, developing the research expertise, talent, infrastructure and partnerships that now help drive the next generation of innovation.
Research excellence
At University of Galway, we take a multidisciplinary approach to MedTech research. Our researchers work across the full pathway from fundamental discovery and technology development through to clinical validation, trials and translation into patient care:
Our Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation seeks to is to accelerate fundamental and applied understanding of disease, and enable disruptive solutions to health-based challenges.
With a vast portfolio of ongoing trials, our Institute for Clinical Trials is at the forefront of groundbreaking research, advancing clinical studies that shape the future of healthcare.
University of Galway’s also leads the national Rinn Medical Devices Centre, which builds on more than a decade of pioneering research through CÚRAM.
Innovation and start-ups
Our needs-led innovation programme, BioInnovate Ireland, uses the Stanford Biodesign methodology to identify unmet clinical needs and develop solutions with the potential to transform patient care. Multidisciplinary teams work closely with clinicians and healthcare professionals to identify real-world challenges, before developing, prototyping and testing potential medical device solutions and exploring pathways to funding and commercialisation.
This approach has helped establish a strong pipeline of MedTech innovation at University of Galway. The Innovation Office supports researchers and entrepreneurs to translate discoveries into new products and spin-out companies, providing expertise in commercialisation, intellectual property, investment and business development.
The Business Innovation Centre provides a home for innovative companies as they develop and scale. Together, these supports create a pathway from research and unmet clinical need through to company formation, investment and international growth.
This ecosystem has generated a growing community of University of Galway MedTech spin-outs, including AuriGen Medical, AtriAN Medical, LUMA Vision, Neurent Medical, Loci Orthopaedics, Signum Surgical, Tympany Medical, SymPhysis Medical, Luminate Medical and Endowave.
In 2026, this ecosystem was further strengthened with the official launch of the ARC Hub for HealthTech, accelerating the commercialisation of patient-focused health technologies by connecting research, clinical expertise and industry.
Putting the patient at the centre of research
Patients and the public are central to health research and innovation at University of Galway. Through the PPI Ignite Network, researchers work with patients, carers and members of the public so that lived experience helps shape research from its earliest stages through to implementation and communication.
The Network has now entered a new phase for 2026–2031, with University of Galway continuing as one of 11 partner universities across the island of Ireland.
This approach is particularly important in MedTech and clinical research, where understanding the needs and experiences of patients is essential to developing technologies that are relevant, usable and capable of making a real difference. University of Galway works with patients and researchers to embed PPI throughout clinical research, including study design, governance, clinical trials and the communication of results.
Collaboration and industry engagement
Our industry partnerships are equally important. Recent partnerships demonstrate the depth of this industry collaboration.
A five-year partnership with Medtronic has supported the development of a new Medical Device Prototype Hub at University of Galway, while TE Connectivity continues to support BioInnovate through mentorship, site visits and knowledge exchange.
Through the Medical Device Innovation Network (MeDiNet), University of Galway is also working with RCSI to provide researchers, clinicians and companies with shared facilities and expertise to design, prototype and test new medical devices.
Through these partnerships, University of Galway continues to build connections across the MedTech sector, creating an environment where expertise, clinical insight and industry experience come together to develop technologies with the potential to improve healthcare worldwide.
For further information or enquiries, email researchmatters@universityofgalway.ie