Significant Research Ireland funding has been announced today for the ARC Hub for HealthTech which is led by Professor Garry Duffy, Head of Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine at RCSI and Professor of Health Technology Innovation at University of Galway. The €34.3 million investment was announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless.

The ARC Hub for HealthTech aims to boost translational research in chronic disease management, focusing specifically on aspects such as decision support and intervention planning, smart implants, advanced wearables, novel sensors, and algorithms and artificial intelligence/machine learning models.

Funded by Research Ireland, along with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Government of Ireland, ARC Hub for HealthTech will be implemented across Northern and Western Regions of Ireland. The innovation-led programme will fast track research projects, boosting healthcare access across regional parts of Ireland.

Professor Duffy commented on the announcement, saying: “We’re excited to bring together regional and national expertise and connected health innovation through the ARC Hub for HealthTech, creating solutions that will transform how we manage chronic disease in our communities.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation James Lawless added: “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. The ARC Hub for HealthTech will play an instrumental role in accelerating the commercialisation of research and getting health solutions to those that need them, faster.”

Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at RCSI, commented on RCSI’s involvement, saying: “Supported by RCSI’s Office of Research and Innovation, we are delighted to be play a key role in such an important initiative for translational research. RCSI is dedicated to boosting development and commercialisation in medtech, digital health, and biomaterials and we look forward to advancing our efforts in these areas through our ongoing collaboration with ARC Hub for HealthTech”.

Co-leads on the programme Professor Richard Costello, Department of Medicine at RCSI, and Professor Suzanne McDonough, Head of the School of Physiotherapy at RCSI, will oversee RCSI’s involvement in the programme.

The five RCSI projects funded under the new ARC Hub for HealthTech programme are:

• Developing novel biosensor technology to improve heart failure management – Dr Aamir Hameed, Tissue Engineering Research Group, RCSI.
• Developing a novel medical device to improve the accuracy of diagnosis of lung conditions, overcoming current spirometer limitations – Professor Richard Costello, Department of Medicine, RCSI.
• Developing an algorithm for early-stage breast cancer prediction and treatment guidance – Professor Darran O’Connor, School of Postgraduate Studies, RCSI.
• Creating a decision support and intervention planning digital obesity treatment platform for adolescents – Dr Grace O’Malley, School of Physiotherapy, RCSI.
• Developing a novel device to overcome the major challenges associated with current brain stimulation devices used for deep brain stimulation in epilepsy – Dr Ian Woods and Professor Fergal O’Brien, Tissue Engineering Research Group, RCSI.

The ARC Hub for HealthTech is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027, one of two ERDF programmes in Ireland. The ERDF aims to promote economic, social and territorial cohesion across all European regions.