HealthTech Ireland is calling on the government to establish an Office of Life Sciences which would strategically coordinate efforts and drive research and innovation in the digital health sphere.
In its pre-budget submission, the organisation urges the government to provide €800,000 to support the creation of the new entity, which would “facilitate cross-organisational collaboration, prevent duplication of efforts, and drive co-ordinated success through research, innovation, and technology cooperation”.
The Office of Life Sciences would enable collaboration between the main players in the healthcare system including the health tech industry, the HSE, government agencies and patient advocates, HealthTech Ireland said in the submission.
This is with the aim of championing research, innovation, health technology products solutions and services, development, clinical trials, value-based healthcare and accelerating the Department of Health’s delivery of the national digital health strategy, it said.
HealthTech Ireland estimates that establishing the new agency would require €500,000 for initial operations and €300,000 for legal, financial, and technical foundations. However, the organisation says this office will drive value for both the Departments of Health and the Department of Trade, Enterprise, and Employment.
The pre-budget submission advises that the government should immediately recruit a high-calibre leader with a proven track record of delivery, to establish the new Office of Life Sciences in consultation with the departments of the Minister for Health and the Minister of Trade, Enterprise and Employment.
A robust, ethical governance and board with diverse representation will be required, it says. This should include representation from the medtech industry and patient organisations.
It is also proposed that this entity would develop a national Life Sciences Strategy to address key challenges in the sector including skills shortages, cost management, sustainability, scaling, technology adoption, AI and supply chain resilience.
A key goal of this strategy would be to streamline the regulatory processes for medical and digital devices, clinical trials, and drug approvals “to ensure that Irish patients benefit from products created on the island and already available overseas”.
In the pre-budget submission, HealthTech Ireland also advocates for a shift toward more innovative procurement pathways. It calls for the creation of a cross-representative group to review international practices with the aim of utilising more innovative pathways.
“Traditional methods are often restrictive, hindering the scaling and adoption of innovative solutions in healthcare systems,” it states. “While we have a thriving start-up community in Ireland, SMEs are leaving for other countries where innovative procurement pathways are providing enhanced opportunities to deliver scalable transformation.”
The organisation is proposing “a centre of excellence” combining expertise within the HSE procurement team, HealthTech Ireland, and an academic partner. Funding would be needed to finance support from a dedicated procurement professional with expertise in innovative practices or a consultancy group.
This centre of excellence would develop an educational model to bridge the gap between vendors and the HSE procurement teams on innovative procurement pathways.
HealthTech Ireland says this collaborative, co-created education model would foster partnership, efficiency, and value for money. It is calling on the government to provide funding of €200,000 to support the initiative.
Commenting on the document, HealthTech Ireland CEO, Susan Treacy, said: “This submission reflects our collective ambition to invest in unlocking potential through collaboration, with governance based on trusted, established relationships. By supporting these initiatives, we can build a stronger, more resilient healthcare system for all.”
