Ulster University Launches £2m Hub Designed To Accelerate Health Tech Innovation

Roland Moore-Colyer,

The innovation hub expands upon Ulster University’s commitment to healthcare tech development

Ulster University has launched a £2 million hub designed to accelerate the development of pioneering healthcare technology with support from clinicians. 

The hub will be located in the Nanotechnology & Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC) within the School of Engineering at Ulster University. 

From its position it will have access to expertise from other specialised centres in the University, such as the Connected Health Innovation Centre and the Centre for Advanced Cardiovascular Research. 

A nearby BioDevices Lab will provide the equipment for turning out prototype technology within hours, according to Ulster University. 

Innovation injection 

One of the worldÕs leading scientists in the field of electromaterials, Belfast-born Professor Gordon Wallace (right) from the University of Wollongong, Australia, helped launchÊUlster UniversityÕs new £2 million Health Technology Research Hub at the Jordanstown campus today with Professor Jim McLaughlin, Ulster University. ÊWorking with medical personnel and industry, the hubÊwill make a global impact on healthcare costs and improve patient treatment for a range of conditions by ensuring that new ideas and technologies can be rapidly tested and developed for use by clinicians. ÊPic By Paul Moane / Aurora

Ulster has a reputation for its work on medical technology and sciences, so the new hub will aim to build out that position and help to turn the university’s research into prototypes and products that could have very practical and life-saving applications in the healthcare world, rather than leaving the innovation within the confines of research papers. 

“By bringing together knowledge and expertise within the new Health Technology Hub, we hope to improve research outcomes, optimise the potential of collaboration between researchers from industry and academia and put Ulster University in a strong position to bid for new research funding in the international health technology,” said Professor Jim McLaughlin, director of NIBEC at Ulster University. 

Given the growing and ageing population in many Western nations and the often strapped resources healthcare organisations have access to, notably the NHS, there is a strong argument that innovations and evolution in healthcare technology could be the one clear way to help reduce the strain on overburdened healthcare services and hospitals. 

As such, it is no surprise that Ulster University is developing the health technology innovation hub, and already has an Internet of Things (IoT) network designed to power connected health research projects that tap into the data harvested by an increasing number of connected devices. 

Yet, Ulster University is not the only academic institution embracing moder technology, with Sheffield University conducting research on drugs recommended by an artificial intelligence technology from BenevolentAI to tackle motor neuron disease. 

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