The University of Galway has been selected to lead the new €64.5 million Rinn Medical Devices Centre, a cornerstone of a landmark €460 million national investment in seven new national research centres established under Research Ireland. The announcement, which marks one of the largest single investments in Irish research and innovation history, consolidates Galway's reputation as a premier global MedTech and life sciences hub.
The funding announcement was made by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D., highlighting the Irish government's commitment to building a coordinated, world-class national research network. The new Rinn Centres are scheduled to commence operations in July 2026 and will run for an initial period of eight years, supported by more than 200 industry partners (including 100 multinational corporations and nearly 100 SMEs).
Galway Leads the Charge in MedTech Innovation
The €64.5 million Rinn Medical Devices Centre will be directed by Professor Abhay Pandit and will focus on developing next-generation medical device innovations designed to address chronic health conditions, support healthy ageing, and improve patient quality of life. The new centre builds directly on over a decade of pioneering research, clinical trials, and commercial breakthroughs achieved by the CÚRAM Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices, which was established in 2015.
Professor Abhay Pandit, Director of Rinn Medical Devices, emphasized the translation-focused and patient-centric design of the new centre:
"Anchored within a dynamic ecosystem of researchers, clinicians, industry partners and innovators, Rinn Medical Devices will accelerate the translation of research into real-world health solutions and drive innovation in medtech from Galway to patients worldwide. At every step, patient voices, experiences, and priorities shape what we do and how we do it, ensuring that the devices we develop are not just scientifically sound, but genuinely meaningful to the people they're designed to help."
Partnering Across All Seven National Centres
The University of Galway's selection is a major academic milestone: the university will partner on all seven new national Rinn research centres — making it one of only three higher education institutions in Ireland to achieve this comprehensive footprint. Across the 17 research-performing organisations in the country, Galway is one of only two to partner across the entire network.
Aengus Parsons, Interim Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Galway, stated:
"Out of 17 research performing organisations, the University of Galway is one of only two to partner across all seven Rinn centres. This uniquely positions us to support interdisciplinary collaboration and maximise the impact of this national investment."
Professor David Burn, President of the University of Galway, welcomed the scale of the investment:
"Government investment of this scale in this new initiative recognises the vital role of research and innovation in addressing pressing societal and economic priorities for Ireland and globally. Our leadership of Rinn Medical Devices, and partnering across all seven research centres, demonstrates the depth of research excellence in University of Galway, and reflects the scale of our success in the fields of medical devices and new healthcare therapies over the last decade as well as our excellence in energy, AI and quantum science."
Galway's Leadership in the National Rinn Network
In addition to directing the Medical Devices Centre, University of Galway academics will hold prominent leadership and deputy director roles across the Rinn network:
- Rinn Advanced Therapies: Focused on developing and manufacturing personalized cellular immune therapeutics for cancer and serious diseases. The Galway Deputy Director is Professor Aideen Ryan (School of Medicine).
- Rinn Artificial Intelligence: A national hub to advance data science and AI research. The Galway lead is Professor Edward Curry (Data Science Institute and School of Computer Science).
- Rinn Energy: Driving energy system decarbonization. The Galway leads are Professor Rory Monaghan (Deputy Director, School of Engineering) and Professor Frances Fahy (Ryan Institute).
- Rinn Quantum: Establishing Ireland as a global leader in quantum science. The Galway Deputy Director is Professor J-C Desplat (Irish Centre for High-End Computing - ICHEC).
- Rinn Pharma and Biopharma & Rinn Semiconductors: Galway researchers will act as core academic partners, helping drive therapeutic manufacturing and microchip research.
The Rinn Centres are designed to support 577 researchers and 800 PhD candidates across Ireland, creating a robust talent pipeline for the country's high-tech and biopharma industries. By integrating academic excellence with direct clinical applications and industrial collaboration, the network aims to secure Ireland's competitive edge in the global knowledge economy for the next decade.
