It was a big day for Galway medtech companies this month with multiple prizes at the annual Irish Medtech Awards.
Irish Medtech, the Ibec group that represents the medtech sector, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland today revealed the winners of the Irish Medtech Awards 2024, which are held as part of Medtech Rising, 5 December, in The Galmont, Galway.
The overall winner of the awards this year is Freudenberg Medical, a contract manufacturer of choice, employing over 1,000 people in Ireland with sites in Leitrim and Galway, with 350 new jobs announced over the past 14 months.
Freudenberg Medical specialises in electrophysiology devices, which measure the heart’s electrical activity. These devices are used every two minutes in life changing treatment, and one in four ablation procedures, for irregular heartbeats, globally are supported by them.
Not only are they serving patients worldwide, Freudenberg Medical is transforming healthcare by reducing training time for new operators by 75% through the deployment of augmented/virtual reality technology and “gamified” training.”
Barry Regan, Vice President and General Manager of Freudenberg Medical’s Co. Leitrim facility in Carrick-on-Shannon, said: “This award celebrates the innovative mindset of our teams at Freudenberg Medical , from successful customer collaborations to deliver transformative medical devices to our investments in smart manufacturing, VR training, and AI-powered planning tools. Our teams are passionate about their responsibility to deliver high-quality products that improve patient care, and this recognition is a testament to their dedication.”
John Nugent, Department Manager, Medical Technologies and Healthcare Services, IDA Ireland said, “A unique strength of Ireland’s medtech ecosystem is our ability to collaborate.”
“This year’s Collaboration in Medtech Award goes to the University of Galway for their Medtronic Signature Innovation Partnership. In 2023, the University of Galway and Medtronic initiated a five-year, €5 million Signature Innovation Partnership.”
“This partnership includes investment in the University’s Medtech infrastructure, encompassing clinical trials resources, campus-wide STEM outreach programs that promote diversity, and support for research through early-stage seed funding for joint projects.”
Cepta Duffy, Department Manager for Industry & Lifesciences High Potential Start-Ups at Enterprise Ireland, said, “Freudenberg Medical has really stood out at the Irish Medtech Awards winning two categories.”
“With 15 years of trusted partnerships with leading electrophysiology customers that represent more than 60% of the total global market for catheter-based EP solutions it is a worthy Medtech Partner/Supplier of the Year Award Winner shipping more than 16 million complex catheters each year from its Irish operations”.
Ireland is regarded as a leading global health tech hub and the Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award reflects an increasingly important segment.
This year’s winner Galenband is a Galway-based medtech company transforming cardiac diagnostics with a revolutionary wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) device designed to detect the abnormal heart rhythms that lead to stroke.
Unlike traditional short-term monitoring devices or invasive implantable solutions, Galenband offers continuous, diagnostic-quality ECG monitoring for up to 90 days without the need for recharging or adhesives.
- Medtech Company of the Year Award: Freudenberg Medical
- Emerging Medtech Company of the Year Award: LUMA Vision
- Best Process-Product Innovation in Medtech Award: Boston Scientific Cork
- Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award: Galenband
- Collaboration in Medtech Award: University of Galway and Medtronic Signature Innovation Partnership
- Medtech Partner/Supplier of the Year Award: Freudenberg Medical
- Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award: Stryker Ireland
- Best Talent Strategy in Medtech Award: Johnson & Johnson MedTech
- Best Diversity and Representation Company Initiative Award: Stryker Ireland
- Outstanding Contribution to Medtech Award: Dr Sinéad Keogh
- Medtech Connect+: Spiorad Medical
