Training Focus At Health Centre Of Excellence

A new £1.6million Centre of Excellence just launched, will help commercialise potentially ‘ground breaking’ products and concepts developed within Northern Ireland’s health service.



The initiative will also create a culture of Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and innovation through an integrated staff-training programme.

The training will look at IP assets and how they have been successfully applied to such equipment as the world’s first mobile defibrillator which was created in Belfast in 1965, novel therapies and diagnostic procedures and new medications.

The centre will identify and explore opportunities to obtain, protect and use these Intellectual Property (IP) assets, using methods such as patents and design rights.

Economy Minister Nigel Dodds launched the Health and Social Care (HSC) Innovations Centre of Excellence which he explained will provide innovation management services and exploit the assets developed from employee innovations and ideas arising from research and healthcare delivery. 



The initiative will identify new technologies and services to create commercial opportunities, possible collaborations with local businesses and spin-out companies.

This will ultimately bring potential products to market that will improve patient care. 


Speaking at the launch event, the Minister said: “The ability to identify new products and bring knowledge based research to commercial viability is key to Northern Ireland’s economic competitiveness. 



(BMcC)