Modern medicine has given rise to the development of a wide range of novel engineering solutions to clinical problems. Examples of these developments vary from orthopaedic implants such as total hip replacements to cardiovascular implants such as coronary stents (small wire scaffolds inserted into the blood vessels around the heart). As a result of the increased collaboration between engineers and doctors, the new discipline of biomedical Engineering developed. Biomedical Engineering is the fastest growing area of Engineering. Students who follow this programme can look forward to exciting and rewarding careers in the biomedical engineering industry, an industry that is undergoing major expansion internationally and in Ireland. The biomedical engineering industry in Ireland has factories from all the major multinational companies resulting in the need for highly skilled biomedical engineers.