Pictured at the launch of the new Connected Health Technology Centre were Dr Ita Richardson, UL, Richard Bruton T.D. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Pat O' Connor, Homesafe Care.

The  new Applied Research for Connected Health (ARCH) Technology Centre, has received €5 million in funding from the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland. It  is also supported by IDA Ireland.  ARCH is hosted at University College Dublin (UCD) where researchers from clinical, engineering, technology, policy and economic fields, with input from University of Limerick (UL) and almost all Higher Education Institutes in the country with connected health research capabilities, will collaborate to deliver on the connected health research agenda defined by its industry steering group. Connected Health is the utilisation of “connecting” technologies i.e. communication systems – broadband, wireless, mobile phone, fixed phone lines - and medical devices and treatments for healthcare applications.  In addition, technologies relating to sensors, alarm systems, vital sign monitoring devices, health informatics and data management systems are also fundamental to the development of connected health solutions.