Multi-million-pound funding boost for medical device innovation in Scotland

The Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) has been awarded £3.35 million of additional funding from Scottish Enterprise to continue its work developing medical device innovation and improve the industry’s sustainability.

The new funding was confirmed by the Scottish Government’s Cabinet secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, Neil Gray, who was given a tour of the facility.

The money will help to address current challenges facing organisations like the NHS, exploring the inclusion and development of degradable or reusable polymers. Designed to have reduced environmental impact, use of these polymers could help to make medical device manufacturing more sustainable. More work will also be done on the real-time evaluation of the carbon footprint of manufacturing processes and the safer removal of greenhouse gases in the NHS.

Additionally, further support will be given to earlier-stage entrepreneurs in healthcare who are part of Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme, a positive step towards closer integration of innovation in the health and care sectors.

The MDMC is a consortium of institutions including Heriot-Watt University, where it is headquartered, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and Robert Gordon University.

It can also be announced that the MDMC has a new partner in the University of Dundee, which has a legacy in precision machining. There is a suite of commercial manufacturing equipment at what was formerly IMSaT (The Institute for Medical Science and Technology) in Dundee that will be reconditioned to cover the field of key-hole surgery for brain, limb and heart applications, implantable devices, and endoscopic devices.

Wellbeing Economy secretary Neil Gray said: “This funding will not only drive innovation across the healthcare landscape, but help produce more sustainable medical devices as we continue our transition to net zero.

“Having previously supported the MDMC through the Scottish Government’s Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund, it is fantastic to see these state-of-the-art facilities continuing to encourage collaborative working.

“Innovation is a priority, and the National Innovation Strategy sets out plans to drive up our performance and compete with the best in the world over the next decade.”