A new programme will allow eligible participants with an idea for a medical device to receive 50 per cent of their last certified salary, while on a programme initiated at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology yesterday.
Ten places are available for participants in the programme through Enterprise Ireland's CORD campus company scheme. Participants must have a diploma or degree and at least two years' experience in the healthcare or related industries. The programme was initiated by the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy as part of the R&D research and development awareness scheme by Enterprise Ireland in Galway.
Research technology and innovation were critical to competitiveness and employment, Mr Treacy said.
"The pace of technological change is continuing to accelerate and companies must continuously develop new products and find new markets if they are to keep up," he said.
The medical device programme was developed by the institute's head of the school of engineering, Mr Gerard MacMichael. The medical device sector includes medical equipment, disposable and support products, interventional products, orthopaedics and implants, and also vision, dental and hearing products.
More companies needed to carry out "effective" research and development in Ireland, Mr Treacy said.
He said the Government was investing "substantially" in the research, technology and innovation base nationally, and some €2.48 billion (£1.95 billion) had been allocated to it in the National Development Plan, he said. The Enterprise Ireland seminar aimed to raise awareness about a range of programmes developed to support in-company research and development.
