Research and Technology at the service of life

Medtronic has chosen to focus on new product initiatives that potentially have the greatest human impact. Internal ventures have expanded therapies focused on heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cardiac ablation, coronary artery disease, minimally invasive cardiac surgery and stimulation therapy for Parkinson's disease and incontinence. Behind these efforts is the largest financial commitment to research and development in the medical technology industry.

R&D investments have yielded new drug delivery therapies for the treatment of spinal and cerebral spasticity, as well as a series of drug delivery ventures, with companies like Amgen and Novartis pharmaceuticals. classd with health challenges of today and tomorrow, Medtronic recognizes that working with other leading companies can yield new therapies - sooner and more efficiently - than pursuing them independently.

Medtronic currently spends about 10 percent of annual revenue on R&D. These funds are invested in an internal development strategy aimed at leveraging Medtronic technology to meet unmet medical needs. Collaboration with physicians to develop and produce what they need is thoroughly international, with cross-fertilization and transfer of technologies and skills across borders in the interest of restoring patients to full and productive lives.

To this end, each Medtronic business unit is composed of multidisciplinary research teams whose sole objective is to continuously improve medical care. These teams work hand in hand with the medical profession, as well as with engineering and micro-technology schools. This interaction enables Medtronic to identify and select at any time the best options in terms of development and manufacturing.

Such a dynamic approach leads to new medical technologies and the continuous improvement of existing devices and systems.