Research and development projects in the field of medical technologies at NUI Galway are to receive an investment boost of €900,000 over the next two years from Covidien, one of the world’s leading suppliers of healthcare products.
Covidien announced on Monday that the funding is to go to highly innovative projects based at the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (NCBES ) at NUI Galway. These include the Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials (NFB ) and the Centre for Pain Research (CPR ). Details of a third project to benefit from the funding is to be announced in the coming months.
This funding is the first phase of a €1.8 million investment in Irish academic institutions which Covidian announced in July. The company has been engaged in discussions with IDA Ireland to establish three collaborative programmes to support active technology development projects.
Speaking at the announcement in Dublin Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, said: “University based facilities enabled by this collaboration with Covidien will help to ensure that Ireland continues to produce high-quality researchers who can innovate new technologies and design robust scientific research. This ultimately produces the valuable data that furthers patient health and safety.”
Scott Flora, president, Surgical Devices, at Covidien, said: “The medical devices sector in Ireland has a legacy of innovative products and is of critical importance to the country’s economic recovery. We are dedicated to R&D in partnership with IDA Ireland. We believe the medical devices and health sectors will be a thriving part of Ireland’s business growth and high-technology job creation in the future.”
Vice-president for research at NUI Galway Professor Terry Smith said: “NUI Galway is delighted to be part of this investment by Covidien for research to be led by Professor Abhay Pandit, director of the Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials and Dr David Finn, lecturer in pharmacology and co-director of the Centre for Pain Research. It is yet another tangible benefit arising from the Government investment in R&D in Ireland and acknowledges the part which Irish research plays in translating research from the bench to the clinic.”
