January BioInnovate highlights importance of women-led, needs-driven innovation

Alumni of the renowned BioInnovate programme at University of Galway are to share insights on translating unmet clinical need into patient centred solutions.

The online event is being held on January 13th, 2026, as the search begins for the next intake for BioInnovate's 10-month medical device and digital health innovation programme. 

One area of focus for the 2026 webinar is the growing recognition that women’s health innovation must be grounded in real, unmet clinical need and informed by diverse perspectives, particularly the lived experiences of women themselves. The webinar seeks to actively support and encourage greater involvement of women as innovators and leaders in health innovation, an approach long embedded within BioInnovate.

BioInnovate alumni companies are already demonstrating how needs-led innovation can transform health outcomes, including women’s health outcomes. Among them is AVeta Medical which is poised to redefine the standard of care for millions of women living with Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM).

The BioInnovate webinar and the opening of recruitment for the programme follows the announcement late last year by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill T.D. of €2million in dedicated funding in women’s health research in Ireland in 2026 and 2027.

Paula Newell, Founder of AVeta Medical and a BioInnovate alumna taking part in the webinar, said: “Women’s health has historically been under-researched and under-prioritised, despite the scale of impact on quality of life. Needs-led innovation changes that dynamic by starting with women’s voices and translating them into clinically meaningful, patient-centred solutions. Programmes like BioInnovate have played a critical role in enabling that journey."

Professor Martin O’Halloran, Co-Director of BioInnovate, said: “Needs-led approaches ensure that health solutions are clinically relevant, commercially viable and, most importantly, grounded in real patient need. Having diverse participants within the training programme really supports this approach.”

The webinar will highlight how the importance of clinical insight in shaping effective unmet solutions is reflected in the career paths of clinicians who move into innovation and industry.

Dr Brendan Boland, Co-Founder of Loci Orthopaedics and Head of Consulting, MedTech at EY, former clinician and BioInnovate fellow, said: “When innovation is grounded in real clinical insight and supported by the right commercial and policy frameworks, it has the potential to deliver meaningful impact at scale. Women’s health represents one of the most significant areas of unmet clinical need in medtech. The BioInnovate programme is critical in bridging that gap between clinical reality and sustainable innovation.”

Along with Ms Newell and Dr Boland, the BioInnovate event will hear from other speakers, including Katie Nolan, Clinical Acceleration Manager, ARC Hub for HealthTech based at University of Galway; Yanka Reis, 2025 BioInnovate graduate and engineer with J&J; and current programme participant Conor Connolly, a biotechnology graduate and accomplished commercial leader with extensive experience in the medical technology and sustainability sectors.

The BioInnovate alumni will share insights on translating unmet clinical needs into scalable, patient-centered solutions. The webinar is open to medical professionals, scientists, engineers technology and AI experts, and business professionals interested in participating in the 10-month programme. The programme is fully funded, and participants receive a tax-free scholarship of €38,000 over the ten-month period. In addition, academic fees of up to €5,750 are covered by the programme.

Register at  https://tinyurl.com/bioinnovatewebinar2026

BioInnovate is supported under the Innovators’ Initiative Programme, Co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027.

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