Talent to Thrive: The Newsletter for Ireland's Medtech Sector - August 2025

Foreword from Dr. Ann O’Connell

As we look to the final quarter of 2025, it’s clear that talent and innovation remain central pillars of Ireland’s medtech momentum. In this issue, we spotlight the need for and impact of strategic training, from executive-level innovation to structured mentorship, all designed with and for our industry and available with funding supports from Irish Medtech Skillnet

Training and upskilling are key to keeping businesses competitive. When businesses cultivate a top-class workforce, they are positioned to grow through the economic opportunities presented by hi-tech innovation, digitalisation and the green transition.

Whatever the size of your company, you can get in touch with us to find upskilling solutions for your team.

Strategic Focus Areas The focus areas for upskilling are based on research carried out by the Irish Government and Skillnet Ireland in the area of skills and lifelong learning. With the aim of supporting Irish businesses to become stronger and more competitive through upskilling, these focus areas are at the centre of everything we do and form the building blocks for the creation of all of our upskilling and reskilling programmes and initiatives. We invite you to explore the opportunities we can offer you for the rest of 2025 and finish the year strong! Warm regards, Dr. Ann O’Connell Network Manager, Irish Medtech Skillnet Head of Funded Projects, Engineering & Medtech, Ibec

In this issue
1. Finishing Strong: Course Highlights for the rest of 2025
2. Industry News in Ireland
· Ireland’s FemTech Moment: Innovation, Impact, and Opportunity
· The Tariff Threat
3. Irish Medtech Skillnet in the Spotlight
· On the Road: Upcoming Events and Site Visits to our Industry Partners


September - Subsidised Training

· Certificate in Continuing Professional Development in Project Management L7, starting 15th September - Learn More

· Masters in Medical Technology Regulatory Affairs, starting 15th September - Learn More

· Data Analytics & Machine Learning, starting 24th September - Learn More

· Professional Mentor Training (EMCC), starting 30th September - Learn More

September – Free Webinars

· Empower, Inspire and Lead: The Power of Mentorship for your Organisation, on 9th September - Learn More
· The Breakthrough Blueprint: The BioInnovate Strategy for Executives, on 16th September - Learn More
October - Subsidised Training

· Master of Science in Digitalisation of Manufacturing, starting 1st October - Learn More

· ASQ’s Certified Quality Engineer, starting 4th October - Learn More

· Proactive Risk Management in Medtech: Staying Ahead of Regulatory Challenges, starting 21st October - Learn More

· Strategic Innovation for Senior Executives, starting 21st October - Learn More

· Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) & IoT, starting 31st October - Learn More

· Digital Twins in Production Operations, starting 31st October - Learn More

November - Subsidised Training

· Database Design & Data Visualisation, starting 1st November - Learn More

· Effective Technical Writing Skills, starting 26th November - Learn More

· Catheter Design & Development Workshop, starting 27th November – Learn More

Irish Medtech Skillnet develops and delivers transformative, industry-led training solutions to help companies of all sizes in the medical technology and manufacturing sectors to grow and retain best-in-class talent, supporting the future success and competitiveness of medtech in Ireland. View our 2025 Programme Catalogue here.

Ireland’s FemTech Moment: Innovation, Impact, and Opportunity

In the wake of the impactful 'Empowering Women in STEM: Gender Representation Study for the Health Technology Sector in Ireland' report from Irish Medtech Skillnet, First Polymer Training Skillnet, and Connected Health Skillnet released in April 2025, which highlighted the crucial role of upskilling in addressing the ongoing gender imbalance in Ireland’s STEM sectors, a new report ‘Femtech in Ireland: The Case for Prioritising Women’s Health Research and Innovation’, has provided more insights into the sector. Read it in full here.

Produced by Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI), and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Cork (UCC), the report explores how improved support for women’s health innovation and entrepreneurship could unlock economic potential, address health inequities, and strengthen Ireland’s life sciences and technology sectors and reveals a dynamic, promising, women-led startup scene in Ireland.

FemTech remains underdeveloped and underfunded, despite the fact that women make up half the population. Three in four FemTech companies are founded by women, often driven by their own lived health experiences. This is in stark contrast to global projections: the market is expected to hit €60 billion by 2027, with wider women’s health research offering an annual $1 trillion potential uplift by 2040. Since 2022, HIHI’s Femtech@HIHI programme has already supported over 30 Irish startups, ranging from wearable menopause trackers to AI-powered fertility and pelvic health solutions. But the new report calls for more: dedicated FemTech funding calls, a national innovation hub for women’s health, and systematic integration of sex and gender analysis into medical research.

This momentum dovetails with the findings of the 2025 Empowering Women in STEM report, which revealed persistent barriers to female progression into senior technical and leadership roles, underscoring how innovation and opportunity are closely tied to representation.

Taken together, both reports present a unified message: investing in women’s health and investing in women’s careers are mutually reinforcing strategies. By tackling gender gaps, whether in leadership or in research priorities, Ireland positions itself not just for greater equality, but for smarter economics and stronger global competitiveness.

The Tariff Threat

The transatlantic trade landscape has grown increasingly volatile for Ireland’s medtech sector, which exports over 40% of its output, worth approximately €8 billion annually, to the United States. At present, Irish medical technologies entering the US face a 15% tariff, creating significant headwinds for an industry that thrives on global reach and competitiveness.

While details of the full joint trade agreement are still being finalised, the stakes are already high. MedTech Europe has called on policymakers to remove tariffs on medical technologies, warning that additional costs will ultimately disrupt patient care and suppress innovation in a sector where speed, quality, and accessibility are paramount.

Irish Medtech has echoed these concerns, urging the Irish government to consider contingency measures to support both business continuity and employees in companies most exposed to a slowdown in transatlantic trade. With Ireland recognised as one of the world’s leading hubs for medtech design and manufacturing, any prolonged disruption risks not only economic impact but also Ireland’s reputation as a global centre of excellence.

The sector has long demonstrated resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. However, these tariffs underscore the urgent need for sustained advocacy, strategic government support, and proactive industry collaboration to ensure that Ireland continues to lead in delivering innovative medical technologies to patients worldwide.

Irish Medtech Skillnet in the SpotlightIrish Medtech Skillnet on the Road
Promoting our transformative training solutions “on the road” is all in a day’s work for our team! These events keep us close to our industry audience and drive awareness of our industry-led, funded programmes which attendees can avail of.

If you’re planning an event or career day to support continuing professional development for your employees, we would love to have a stand there! We can also participate in industry events as speakers or panel participants. Here’s how the remainder of 2025 is shaping up. Please get in touch if we can add your event to the list.

• Career Day - Took place in Merit Medical in August 2025
• Professional Mentor Training Informational Webinar - Join our webinar on 9th September 2025.
• Optimising Operations Through Technology – Taking place at TUS Coonagh Engineering Campus on 9th September 2025
• Strategic Innovation for Senior Executives Webinar - Join our webinar on 16th September 2025.
• Medical Processing Panel Conference - we will be speaking on a panel on 23rd September 2025 at the RDS.
• Further Education & Continuing Professional Development Expo – Taking place in Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in September 2025.
• Medical Technology Ireland Exhibition – Visit our stand on 24–25 September 2025 at the Galway Racecourse.
• Medtech Rising 2025 – We’re proud to sponsor this Irish Medtech event on Thursday, 4th December 2025, at the Galmont Hotel, Galway.

Thank you for joining us in this edition of Talent to Thrive, the monthly newsletter updates from Irish Medtech Skillnet for Ireland’s Medtech Sector! We look forward to continuing our journey of learning and innovation together in future and we plan to bring you these updates regularly.

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