Indeed, Ireland is now home to 15 of the world's top 25 medical technologies companies and is a proven global medical technology manufacturing location which is also rapidly increasing its R&D activities. Leading medical technology companies have chosen Ireland as a base for developing, manufacturing and marketing a diverse range of products from disposable plastic and wound care products to precision metal implants including pacemakers to microelectronic devices, orthopaedic implants, diagnostics, contact lenses and stents.

The Irish based Medical Technologies sector employs over 26,000 people in 150 companies. This has doubled since 1996 and when indirect employment is taken into account rises to 36,000. The sector currently has sales in excess of well over Euro6 billion annually, almost one tenth of our total exports, and annual growth approaching 16%.

As a result, this sector in Ireland has comparable scale to the largest clusters globally in Minnesota and Massachusetts.

Among the major international companies to have chosen Ireland are Abbott, Becton Dickinson, Boston Scientific, Essilor, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, and Tyco Healthcare all of whom have several facilities here from which they service their worldwide markets. An increasing number of these companies are integrating R&D functions into their facilities while many of them are also adding additional global support functions such as shared financial and IT support services and global supply chain management.

Companies to add these functions include Allergan, Advanced Medical Optical and Baxter.

In addition, a recent Government survey has shown that 80% of the companies in the sector are "innovation active" with 57% of them being involved in research and development. Local investment is significant; the sector spends more than Euro820 million on wages, Euro390 million on purchasing Irish materials and Euro440 million on Irish services every year.

Among the key sub-sectors represented in Ireland is cardiovascular and cardiac rhythm management. Ireland has a strong market share in this area including four of the top global companies - Abbott, Boston Scientific, Guidant and Medtronic, whose combined Irish manufacturing employment is over 8,000. Another major sub-sector is orthopaedics in which Ireland hosts manufacturing facilities for Stryker and J&J DePuy. Ireland has a strong reputation in the diagnostics area with six of the top seven global diagnostics companies having chosen Ireland. The ophthalmic sector is also well developed with industry leaders Alcon, Essilor, Bausch & Lomb and Vistakon all located here. Other key medical device sub-sectors represented in Ireland include contract manufacturing, medical equipment, filtration and hospital products.

The indigenous sector has also grown rapidly and now accounts for more than Euro30 million in sales, an export rate of over 80%, and currently employs almost 1,000 people. The principal product categories covered by the sector include interventional products; diagnostics; medical equipment; dental, vision and hearing products;

orthopaedics; disposables;

and support products and services.

However, the sector faces a significant challenge in terms of its future growth and development. "While we do not anticipate overall employment in the industry growing significantly there will be a requirement for higher levels of skills in the future", explains Irish Medical Device Association (IMDA) Director Sharon Higgins. "We carried out a survey in conjunction with Trinity College Dublin recently this showed that an increase of 64% Doctorates, 36% Master of Science and 13% Primary Degrees in the engineering and science disciplines are required if the needs of the medical devices and diagnostic sector are to be met up to 2011."

The IMDA has taken proactive steps to address this requirement and recently produced a new careers magazine "IMAGINE" which is aimed at reversing the declining number of students taking science and engineering subjects at second and third level.

IMAGINE showcases the highly diverse range of career options across the sector and has been distributed to all second level schools in the country.

"IMAGINE, for the first time - in a single document - provides comprehensive information on careers in the sector, school tours and graduate placement opportunities in over 50 companies in the sector", says Sharon Higgins. "It is aimed at reversing the declining interest in science and engineering and encouraging second level students to consider careers in the medical devices and diagnostic sector."

The response to the magazine has surpassed all expectations to far. "Response has been phenomenal", says Sharon Higgins. "We have had careers guidance teachers contacting us telling us it is the best publication of its type they have ever seen and they are hoping that other sectors copy it. We are planning to web enable it later in the year and to offer a PowerPoint presentation for teachers to use in the classroom. We are also assisting our member companies to meet their current recruitment needs through a free service on our website (www. imda. ie) where they can advertise employment opportunities."

According to Higgins it is vital important that more second level students choose science and engineering at third level if the sector's potential is to be realised. "The Irish medical technology sector is thriving and is recognised as one of the fastest developing in the world", she says. "Innovation is a vital ingredient in this sector, where the average product lifecycle is a mere 18 months. Career opportunities for graduates in the sector's 150 companies will be exceptionally strong, perhaps uniquely so in Ireland, given that seven of the world's top 12 companies are located here alongside a thriving indigenous base."