April Newsletter

DKIT to Host Ground-breaking Showcase on May 6^th

On May 6th, Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT) will host its first-ever Health and Innovation Showcase – a high-impact event designed to inspire, connect, and spotlight the cutting-edgework happening at the intersection of health, technology, and enterprise.

This showcase is a celebration of innovation – how it’s shaping our economy, transforming lives, and creating new collaborative opportunities across myriad sectors.

Why Attend? Whether you are an SME, start-up, researcher, healthcare provider, or support agency, this showcase offers:

• Insight into the future of health innovation; HSE’s ‘Digital for Care 20230’ Strategy
• Opportunities to meet potential collaborators or project partners
• A chance to see regional success stories and prototypes in action – Hear from industry speakers including  Nova Leah, OpenSky, and Medwrite.AI.
• A platform to learn about new supports and funding available for health-focused initiatives

Attendees can expect an engaging mix of keynote talks, discussions, and networking sessions. Whether you’re a business leader, innovator, clinician, researcher, student, or policymaker, the event will offer valuable insights into how digital health breakthroughs are influencing areas like AI, data science, software development, and user experience design.

The Showcase is a key milestone in DKIT’s strategy to drive growth and innovation in the Digital Health sector. The institute is home to several national and international initiatives that support research, innovation, and commercialisation. This event brings together all these strengths in one place, highlighting DKIT’s role as a key player in the region’s innovation ecosystem. And while the focus is digital health, the event invites collaboration across tech, business, education, and design —recognising that the future of health innovation is interdisciplinary.

The event is free, but you need to register HERE.

The optional afternoon session will see Cluster members (and invited guest) discuss collaborative opportunities for upcoming Funding Calls.

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See our full list of members, and register your interest in membership of our Cluster here.

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Please contact us directly or stay tuned to our social media channels for additional information.

Please see additional information below on news & events .

ECHAlliance 5 Nations Ecosystem Gathering, May 15th, Belfast

Following our recent announcement as the Irish ecosystem partner, we’re delighted to support the ECHAlliance 5 Nations Ecosystem Gathering on “Connecting the Dots – Globally”, which will take place on 15th May from 9:00 to 16:30h at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The gathering is co-hosted with Ulster University and will focus on social care, AI, funding and health & economy.

The event’s discussions will centre on four critical themes:

• Social Care: Addressing the evolving needs of communities and advancing sustainable care solutions.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Exploring the role of AI in transforming healthcare delivery, diagnostics, and patient care.
• Funding: Examining financial models, investment opportunities, and crossborder collaborations.
• Health & Economy: Evaluating the economic impact of healthcare innovation and fostering synergies between sectors.

See more info HERE.

The healthtech sector has multiple funding opportunities, but it requires proactive engagement and prioritisation to win the highly competitive calls and commercial tenders. We’re currently compiling a database of funding opportunities, and a database of members’ expertise and project experience.

Call for potential Project Partner: One of our members is currently interested in companies offering wearables or sensors capable of remote physiological monitoring, ideally with continuous or near-continuous data collection. Specifically, they want to hear  from companies offering wearables or sensors that can monitor:

• Heart rate

• SpO₂ (oxygen saturation)

• Respiratory rate

Ideally, the company will be CE-marked or have a near-market solutions that can be used in a home or outpatient setting. Contact breanndan.casey@dkit.ie for more information.

Future Health Summit – Innovation Award 2025

CHW Cluster and dConnect supporting innovation pitches

The Investnet Future Health Summit 2025 Innovation Award is presented to an emerging business that successfully integrates technology into their mission to improve healthcare quality. The award is FREE to enter online in minutes, and the DEADLINE is April 25th.

The Innovation Award is sponsored by UPMC Ireland and Medtronic who offer their wisdom in the Judging of this prestigious award.

The CHW Cluster and dConnect support the finalists on creating their video pitch.

The aim is to showcase innovation, profile new Start-Up companies & entrepreneurs operating in the Healthcare sector by fostering an awareness of the increasing importance of Health technologies/products and their application to improve healthcare quality and safety.

Free Entry Here:

For the 8 shortlisted companies it’s a chance to appear on the Future Health Summit stage in front of the 700+ international audience of healthcare leaders and decision makers i.e. potential customers, healthcare executives and potential investors/partners.