GE Healthcare invests in Ireland’s TRIL

Ireland’s Technology Research for Independent Living Centre (TRIL) has announced that GE Healthcare is to invest €2.25m ($3m) in the research initiative.

The Centre, which is based outside Dublin and brings together over 70 researchers, was established in 2007 by Intel and Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency, to explore the physical, cognitive and social consequences of ageing and design technologies to help address them.

Over the past three years, more than 600 older people have been assessed in the TRIL Clinic and a large number have participated in the TRIL technology deployment programme. The resources committed by GE will enable TRIL to expand the pool of participants.

The addition of GE Healthcare will help TRIL to extend and expand its research programme. The existing partners in the TRIL Centre are: Intel, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and NUI Galway. The Centre aims to secure additional industry partners, ranging from multi-nationals to SMEs.

“We are excited about welcoming a new industry partner with the technology expertise and stellar reputation of GE Healthcare,” said Dr Brian Caulfield, academic director of the TRIL Centre.

A central goal of TRIL is to bring together world-class industry and academic experts from multiple disciplines. The focus of the centre is on developing and testing technologies and information services that enable older people to live independently in their homes.

As part of this focus the TRIL Centre has developed a “shared technology platform” where technologies from researchers around the world are being integrated into a shareable research platform. This will enable different academic centres to conduct their own technology trials without building everything from scratch.

Home health is a key business focus for GE Healthcare. The company recently acquired Living Independently Group, a provider of QuietCare, a passive activity monitoring system used to assist in the care of the elderly.

GE is also leading a consortium of private and public sector organisations in a $5m three-year health research programme in Hungary.

In April 2009, GE and Intel announced the formation of a healthcare alliance to develop and market technologies for independent living and chronic disease management. The alliance includes GR marketing the Intel Health Guide in the US and UK.

Agnes Berzsenyi, general manager of GE Healthcare’s Home Health business, said: “We are delighted to be part of the TRIL Centre and to be involved in the groundbreaking research being done there. The world is getting older and this is presenting enormous healthcare challenges in the care of elderly citizens and the prevention of chronic disease.”

Link

Technology Research for Independent Living Centre