Doctorate Career Development and Mobility Studentships in Medical Device Research and Advancements: Enhancing the CÚRAM Industry-Academia Training Initiative

ongoing

A major limitation for the introduction of novel medical devices to the market is the gap between research outputs and industry interactions. Innovations arising from academic institutions are rarely well aligned with commercial requirements (e.g. regulatory, pricing, patient needs). This impedes the efficient development of medical devices, which increases the time for innovations to reach patients. The Medical Device Doctoral programme, MedDevDoc, will address this gap by providing world-class research and training to 25 doctoral students. These students will be highly employable cross-border and -sector, capable of driving innovation in the European MedTech ecosystem. MedDevDoc is aligned with the EU principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, as well as the EU Charter and Code, and the Salzburg Recommendations. Novel aspects of MedDevDoc include a personal career development plan, which gives students a strong sense of ownership of their own career; a focus on sustainable laboratory practice by exploiting NUIG’s position as the first in Europe to be awarded a Green Lab certification; and extensive training in public engagement through the internationally recognised Education and Public Engagement programme, which is supported by experts such as teachers, filmmakers, and artists. The University of Galway (NUIG) is uniquely positioned to deliver MedDevDoc due to its position as headquarters of the CÚRAM network. CÚRAM is the national Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices, created by the Irish government to close the gap between research and industry in the medical device field. NUIG will work together with the 8 other high-quality academic centres within the CÚRAM network, as well as 14 industry partners, to implement MedDevDoc. Upon completion of the 60-month programme, the next generation of entrepreneurial, multidisciplinary, and creative innovators in the field of medical devices will be ready.