UK healthcare providers and medtech industry professionals have a unique opportunity to learn more about Ireland’s medtech capabilities and tap into the ecosystem that has elevated it to a position as one of the world’s leading hubs for the industry.
Med in Ireland, Enterprise Ireland’s largest medical technologies event, brings together Ireland’s most innovative medtech companies, world-leading healthcare experts and top international health services providers
Taking place virtually for the first time on 3 and 4 November next, Med in Ireland is a high-profile showcase for the entire spectrum of the Irish medical technologies sector, spanning medical devices, medical sub-supply, precision-engineered components, diagnostics, digital health, healthcare providers, clinicians, software, and research and development professionals.
“Irish medtech companies have been working with multinational partners for years on complex projects to solve difficult problems for them,” says Marie-Claire Henry, senior market advisor – Lifesciences & Healthcare with Enterprise Ireland UK. “They have also been solving problems for the NHS and many leading US healthcare providers as well as global manufacturers for many years. Med in Ireland offers an ideal opportunity to meet these firms and learn more about their capabilities.”
Ireland’s unique medtech ecosystem offers opportunities for UK-based healthcare and medtech leaders, care providers, and manufacturers to co-develop and commercialise new medical technologies, secure joint ventures, and outsource manufacturing and design challenges, she adds.
That ecosystem includes 350 companies, two-thirds of them indigenous Irish firms, and 14 of the world’s top 15 medtech companies. That world-class industry base combines with a globally renowned publicly funded research system, an integrated clinical and health system, and an exceptionally strong talent pipeline coming out of Ireland’s university and higher education system, to offer a formidable proposition to potential partners in the UK.
“Healthcare systems in the UK and across the world are undergoing a period of intense transformation,” says Henry. “COVID-19 accelerated that process and healthcare providers are having to rethink care models and are looking to new technologies and services to solve their problems. Many of these technologies and services have already been developed by Ireland’s highly innovative medtech sector.”
She points to a growing recognition that healthcare will increasingly be delivered outside of hospital settings. “It will move to GP surgeries, local clinics, and patients’ homes wherever possible, and it requires advanced technological solutions if it is to happen. Staff shortages and skills deficits are also putting systems under further pressure and placing staff at risk of burnout. This is creating an urgent need for technologies which can keep people healthier, prevent illness, detect it earlier, support clinical decision-making, and deliver better patient outcomes. Irish firms are now recognised as world leaders in the development of those technologies.”
Among those firms is Swiftqueue, which has developed a market-leading self-service portal that allows patients to schedule, view, reschedule, cancel appointments, and view specific test results. The company is working with a range of hospitals and clinics in the NHS to enable more efficient patient-centred processes.
NHS partners include University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, where its platform was deployed to support the rollout of mass vaccinations for COVID-19.
patientMpower is working with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust and Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, on a project funded by NHSX which is bringing virtual care to patients. The solution will enable more outpatient appointments to be conducted virtually, and will improve monitoring of disease, treatment response and support self-management.
Another Irish firm, DermView, is working with an NHS consortium to develop a technology solution that will allow skin cancer to be diagnosed in 25 minutes by 2025.
And MEG has helped Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to digitise its IV Audit process which delivered an 80% reduction in auditing and reporting times while also improving patient outcomes.
“These are just a few among the very many highly innovative Irish medtech firms that are solving problems for NHS clients and other healthcare partners in the UK,” says Henry.
It is not only UK care providers which have chosen to work with Irish medtech firms on the development of new technologies. Ireland also hosts a strong medtech sub-supply base with expertise in delivering high-quality materials, sterilisation, wire, tubing, printing, packaging, tool-making, automation, and a successful services base that offers both contract research and manufacturing capability.
“These firms are highly advanced when it comes to digitisation and smart manufacturing,” Henry adds. “Irish manufacturers have been strong in lean manufacturing methodologies for many years, and they have now added automation, AI, and machine learning to their capabilities as they move towards Industry 4.0. That enhanced capability is also enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Irish medtech companies are not only becoming suppliers of choice for multinational customers in Ireland but for UK companies as well. “They are often considered strategic partners, adding value and solving complex design and manufacturing challenges,” she says. “They are also seen by multinationals as highly dynamic and able to react and respond more rapidly and flexibly than their competitors.”
Med in Ireland offers an opportunity to connect with these leading-edge companies. “We have a diverse range of international companies and healthcare providers registered for the event,” says Henry. “We have a very exciting line-up of speakers to address the conference on the first morning and they will discuss a range of critically important topics, including evolving payment models, increasingly complex regulation, the move to preventative care, digitisation, net zero, dynamic supply chains, and the demographic pressures that are driving innovation at scale.”
A key aspect of the event will be the series of one-to-one meetings between international attendees and Irish medtech firms. “This is the very core of the event,” says Henry. “We match potential overseas partners with Irish companies who we know have the capability to provide innovative solutions to their problems. Over the course of the two days we anticipate arranging hundreds of these meetings and we hope that many new connections and mutually beneficial working relationships will be formed as a result.”
If you want more information on Med In Ireland or are interested in attending, please visit the website or complete the expression of interest form.
