New €5m connected health research centre launched

A new €5 million research centre which will see industry and academia collaborate on specific health projects was officially launched today.

The Applied Research for Connected Health (Arch) technology centre at University College Dublin (UCD) aims to transform how certain diseases are treated by combining technology and research across several areas and disciplines.

During its initial research phase, the centre has focused the care provided to dementia sufferers in Ireland. The collaborative model will now be applied to other clinical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

The centre is headquartered at NexusUCD where researchers will collaborate to deliver on the connected health research agenda defined by its industry steering group.

There are several industry heavyweights steering its research programme including Boston Scientific, Hermitage Medical Clinic, ICON, OpenHealth, and Novartis.

The centre is funded by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland and supported by IDA Ireland.

Launching Arch at a demonstration of the connected health technology in Dublin's Mater Hospital, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said:

“The technology centre we are launching today will be another crucial support for job-creation in this area. By investing €5 million, and above all by bringing together industry and researchers to work on common problems, we can develop cutting edge technologies and accelerate job-creation right across the country”.

Explaining the need for a connected health approach to delivering clinical services, Michael O’Shea, the centre’s new director said: “Every country in the world is facing infinite demand for healthcare services from finite resources, spiralling costs caused by the invention of new drugs, medical equipment and procedures, higher patient expectations and an ageing population (by 2051, close to 40 per cent of the EU’s population will be older than 65).

“Combined with shortages of health professionals, the scale of the challenge is daunting. However advances in technology, such as those being developed through Arch, are enabling a shift towards personalised healthcare and information-based health services which will improve patient experiences and reduce the cost of delivering healthcare.”