Ireland has developed into one of the World's leading MedTech hubs, with nine of the top ten global medical technology companies operating in Ireland. Over 40,000 employees now work in the MedTech sector in Ireland, the highest per capita of population in Europe. One of the key drivers for Ireland being at the forefront of medical technologies is the highly educated workforce, with most graduates taking up post-graduate studies. Significant resources have been put in place, supported by Government funding to enhance further this capability, including the development of large-scale research centres.
However, given the pace of medical technology development, it has been recognised that there is a potentially significant skills gap becoming evident. To address this, there is a need to offer advanced training to experienced researchers in the MedTech space in areas such as industry engagement, understanding the entrepreneurial process, and the development of translational activities for the development of next-generation technologies. By undertaking these activities whilst allowing researchers to pursue their cutting-edge research in the state of the art facilities coupled with understanding individual career development requirements, a new generation of highly skilled and industry-employable researchers will be created.
Experienced Researchers with a research and transferable skills training experience of the highest international standards will help them advance their scientific careers within a chosen sector, across academia, industry or public sector, in the broad area of Medical Device Research and Development. The prevalence of chronic diseases and their impacts on health ensure that the programme will interest the general public. Meaningful interaction of all Fellows' with the general public to promote the success and impact of the research outputs of the programme will increase public awareness for current clinical needs in the field of medical devices. Successful implementation of a programme that will develop a set of skilled researchers will directly contribute to a robust and sustainable European knowledge-based society. Furthermore, the programme will enhance the excellence and impact of Ireland's and Europe's medical device research ecosystem, ensuring continued leadership in this field.
The MedTrain programme, in line with the European Charter and Code, aims to deliver graduates that are immediately employable across sectors. The principal objective of the MedTrain programme is to develop experienced researchers with a full complement of the necessary research and transferable skills to produce excellent scientific results benefiting human health and contributing to innovation, economic growth, and European competitiveness. The primary output arising from MedTrain is the generation of industry-relevant, publicly engaged researchers that will impact European society and economy in regards to a knowledge-based society.
