Medtech body urges Irish government to invest in manufacturing centre

The Irish Medtech Association (IMA), which represents over 250 medical technology companies in Ireland, said it backed calls made by other agencies, including IDA Ireland, the body responsible for attracting inward foreign direct investment to the country, for a new "advanced discrete manufacturing centre" to be established.

"According to the IDA, Ireland is the second largest exporter of medtech products in Europe," said Dublin-based life sciences expert Ann Henry of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com. "Many medtech companies in Ireland are predominantly located outside Dublin helping to spread high-skilled employment throughout the country. It is a sector that is hugely important and any initiative the sector considers warranted in order for Ireland to remain a key player internationally deserves serious consideration."

The IMA said the centre is needed to address the "major R&D and innovation gap" that exists in Ireland in the area of discrete manufacturing, which refers to the production of distinct items, such as medical devices. Ireland currently lags behind other countries in this area, it said.

The IMA has asked the Irish government (16-page / 2.49MB PDF) to factor in the cost of establishing a new centre – €42 million – into its Budget 2019 plans.

"It is the objective of the medtech industry to make Ireland the global medtech hub," the IMA said. "This cannot and will not be achieved without being on a level playing field with other competing markets, who already have advanced manufacturing centres of scale in place."

"This centre should have a physical presence, with the latest technology and equipment, outside of a traditional higher education institutions setting," it said.

The body said building the centre would help increase Ireland's ability to capitalise on the opportunities Brexit could offer the country's life sciences industry.

IMA director Sinead Keogh said Brexit makes manufacturing a strategic priority. "We already lag behind the US which invested nearly €100 million, in 2016, and behind Germany with the Fraunhofeer Institutes having a total annual research budget of €2.3 billion last year," she said.

"While the newly announced Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, of €500 million from government, is expected to foster partnerships between enterprise and research partners, it is no substitute for a physical centre where businesses can collaborate in a cutting-edge demonstrator environment. Now is the time for the Irish government to bridge the innovation gap by investing €42 million in an advanced manufacturing centre or risk Ireland’s reputation as a location of choice for global manufacturing," Keogh said.