Enterprise Ireland partnership to boost Irish health innovators in US market

10 May 2022

President and CEO of Texas Medical Center William McKeon and Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy. Image: Maxwell Photography

Enterprise Ireland’s CEO said the ‘size, scale and reputation’ of Texas Medical Center will bring new opportunities for Irish companies to enter the US market.

Enterprise Ireland has signed a strategic partnership with Texas Medical Center (TMC) to create new opportunities for Irish firms on the other side of the Atlantic.

The BioBridge partnership is designed to provide gateway options for Irish entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians and industry partners to collaborate with TMC to solve global health challenges.

The partnership is focused on advancing health and life sciences through commercialisation, innovation and research. Research collaborations will focus on identifying opportunities for clinical research and clinical trial activities.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, said the partnership is a “very positive development” that will drive further opportunities to bring “Irish healthcare innovation to the world”.

“Years of investment by Government and industry has created a concentrated community of innovation and expertise within Ireland that is breaking new ground and making a major contribution to international healthcare.”

The partnership is also designed to boost patient health and care experiences through new medical devices, digital health developments and therapeutics. TMC hosts 10m patients and performs more than 180,000 surgeries each year.

“Ireland is a European leader in medical devices,” Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, TD, said. “This partnership will provide Irish companies and entrepreneurs with increased market access to develop the next life-saving healthcare company.”

Irish medtech companies have already been working with TMC, as Galway start-ups Lifelet Medical and AuriGen Medical have participated in TMC’s HealthTech Accelerator programme. These start-ups have previously been awarded collaborative funding under Ireland’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland.

“The size, scale and reputation of Texas Medical Center brings new opportunities for Irish companies to innovate and scale and enter the US market,” Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy said.

“Enterprise Ireland places a strong focus on driving innovation in the medtech industry and facilitating successful partnerships between Irish companies and influential global healthcare systems.”

Last year, Enterprise Ireland also entered a partnership with New York-based healthcare provider Northwell Health with the aim of spotlighting Irish medtechs and helping them break into the US market.

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Leigh Mc Gowran is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com