Interview: Enda O’Dowd Talks MedTech Innovation at Ireland’s Edge

Give us a one-minute pitch for what you are doing now.

I’m working with masters students on a studio-based course immersed in industry and working with clinical practice.

How was the last year, what worked well, what didn’t move as quickly as you would have liked?

We had excellent collaborations with the RCSI, St. James’s Hospital and the Mater Hospital. We also worked with Hollister Medical, Teleflex and Medtronic. We are a small institution so progressing collaborative work can be difficult due to the difficulties in negotiating intellectual property.

What are your plans for the future?

To be part of a bigger medical device innovation system in the Dublin region. Collaborating with engineering and clinical practice to progress ideas beyond concept to commercialisation.

What will you be talking about at this event?

Our collaboration with Hollister Medical which has helped us to produce a new generation of human-focused innovative designers and engineers.

What inspired you to attend it?

Being from the Dingle peninsula I am very inspired by Ireland’s Edge and the positive possibilities that creativity can bring to technological innovation.

Which influencers and websites do you follow to keep up to date with the latest developments?

I like to keep up with the latest medical products on Medgadget but for inspiration, I like to read Atul Gwandae who has a great take on the human nature of surgery and surgeons and Yuval Noah Harari who asks the big questions on humanity and technology.

How can people find out more about what you are working on?

We do publish some work but unfortunately, most of what we do is proprietary to the companies we work with and subject to NDA.