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Where our implant devices are put to the test
Advanced imaging and implantation at MET Gateway is reshaping how medical devices are developed in Ireland.
Over 50,000 people work across the Medtech industry. Around 450 companies operate within it. Annual exports are valued at approximately €15–16 billion.
What those numbers describe is an ecosystem not defined by scale alone, but how it is shaped through collaboration.
Inside that system, Medtronic’s work with the Medical & Engineering Technology Gateway (MET Gateway) and LifeTec Group advances cardiac device development into simulation environments designed to mirror clinical reality.
In the medical imaging suite, Medtronic accessed a controlled simulation environment built around fluoroscopy and ultrasound systems typically used in hospitals.
Within this setting, those tools serve a different purpose: analysing how a device behaves during simulated implantation in real time.
As Medtronic R&D engineer Roger Rebordosa highlights:
“The lab, ultrasound, and fluoro machines—along with the guidance provided—were of most benefit… the experience has inspired other departments to use this model for different studies”
The rise of experiential engineering
One of the most significant outcomes of the project was the transfer of knowledge across teams and disciplines. Simulation, in this context, becomes about shared experience.
As Dr Jamie Meehan explains:
“The true value of this partnership with LifeTec Group and the MedTech R&D ecosystem in Ireland lies in the ‘experiential’ knowledge transfer that occurred during the simulation.”
By capturing real-time imaging footage, engineers gained a perspective rarely available outside the clinical settings.
“By sharing real-time imaging and procedural videos, we’ve empowered Medtronic’s engineers to see their technology through a clinical lens long before it reaches a patient”, adds Dr Meehan.
This kind of insight is difficult to replicate through reports or traditional testing alone.
The collaboration also highlights the growing importance of shared infrastructure within Ireland’s MedTech ecosystem.
“This project has clearly ignited a broader culture of innovation within the company, proving that when industry leaders leverage our transformational resources, it inspires new pathways across multiple departments” – Dr Jamie Meehan
Infrastructure as an enabler
Facilities like MET Technology Gateway give companies, particularly SMEs and R&D teams, access to specialised environments that would be difficult to build alone.
For Billy Bonovan, Business Development lead, “Our work with Medtronic and LifeTec Group demonstrates how MET’s infrastructure serves as a vital bridge between theoretical design and clinical reality.”
“This isn’t just testing; it’s a de-risking strategy that accelerates the journey from a concept in Galway to a life-saving solution used globally – Billy Bonovan.”
Projects like this point to a wider trend. Simulation is no longer a specialist capability used occasionally — it is becoming part of the standard pathway from concept to clinic.
The MET Technology Gateway is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27.
