MEDICAL
Students developed solutions ranging from
lunchbox clips and water bottle holders to drainpipe mesh covers. While these may seem like simple ideas, they represent something much bigger: young people identifying a challenge, designing a solution and bringing that idea to life. That mindset lies at the heart of innovation.
CONNECTING LEARNING WITH REAL INNOVATION
Today, manufacturing increasingly brings together production lines, advanced technologies, digital tools, engineering expertise and creative thinking, all working towards the same goal: building products that improve lives around the world. At Stryker, we see first-hand how advanced manufacturing and innovation make healthcare
better. Having operated in Ireland since 1998, we now have nine sites across the island, including six manufacturing facilities and three innovation centres in Cork, Belfast and Limerick. Our Anngrove facility in County Cork is home to the AMagine Institute, one of the world’s most advanced 3D printing medtech facilities. When Empower3D students visit our additive
manufacturing facility, they see this combination first-hand. The same skills they’ve been building on a school project, curiosity, teamwork, problem- solving, are the same ones we rely on every day to design and manufacture technologies used in healthcare around the world. Those visits help young people understand that innovation is not something that happens somewhere else.
Its something they can be part of.
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION One of the most rewarding aspects of Empower3D is seeing the confidence it builds in young people.
Students begin to realise that their ideas have
value. They learn that innovation isn’t reserved for experts; it starts with being willing to ask questions, challenge assumptions and think differently. The programme also demonstrates the value of collaboration. By supporting teachers and providing access to new tools and technologies, industry can create lasting opportunities for students to explore, experiment and build confidence in their abilities. The ideas from this year’s winning schools may
have started as classroom challenges, but they reflect something far greater. They show what can happen when young people are encouraged to think creatively, take ownership of problems and believe they can make a difference. As healthcare challenges become increasingly complex, the MedTech sector will rely on the next generation of innovators to develop new technologies, improve patient outcomes and shape the future of healthcare. Programmes like Empower3D are helping to
nurture that potential today by showing young people that innovation starts with curiosity, and that their ideas could help shape the future of healthcare tomorrow. Learn more at:
https://www.stryker. com/
www.irish-manufacturing.com Irish Manufacturing July/August 2026 13
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