The ERC PatentsInHumans project are delighted to launch a graphic recording artwork designed by artist Eimear McNally which illustrates key themes discussed throughout a recent workshop focused on the topic of “Intellectual Property Law and Medical Technologies”. This workshop was hosted by Maynooth University on Friday 19th June 2026, and was organised by Prof Aisling McMahon (ERC PatentsInHumans Project, Maynooth University), Prof Leanne Wiseman (Griffith University) & Prof Jessica Lai (Victoria University of Wellington).
The workshop featured papers by leading international experts on intellectual property law, disability rights, health law, and related fields, probing the impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on the development, access and use of medical technologies and assistive technologies, and effects of this for device users.
Workshop speakers included: Prof Mac MacLachlan, (Co-Director of the Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University), Dr. Louise Hatherall (University of Birmingham, Wellcome funded Everyday Cyborgs Project), Prof Leanne Wiseman (Griffith University), Dr hab. Lavinia Brâncuși (Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences), Prof Aisling McMahon & Prof Delia Ferri (School of Law and Criminology Maynooth University & Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute), Dr Melanie Stockton-Brown (University of Reading), and Prof Jessica Lai (Victoria University of Wellington).
Papers and discussions over the day focused on cross-cutting themes around the role of intellectual property rights over medical devices and assistive technologies, and the potential implications of such rights for technology users’ interests. This workshop was organised as an international collaboration focused on themes sitting at the intersection of three funded research projects led by workshop organisers, namely, Professor Leanne Wiseman’s project “Unlocking Digital Innovation: IP and the Right to Repair” supported by the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Project ID: FT210100080, Professor Jessica Lai’s project “Patents and Power: A Critical Analysis of Knowledge Governance” supported by the New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi under Grant E4223, and Professor Aisling McMahon’s ERC PatentsInHumans project which is supported by European Research Council (ERC) funded by the European Union (ERC, PatentsInHumans, Project No. 101042147).
The organisers commissioned artist Eimear McNally to visually represent key workshop concepts and themes through a graphic recording to encourage wider public and societal engagement with the workshop discussions and themes. This artwork can be viewed on the ERC PatentsInHumans website here.
The organisers are very grateful to the ERC PatentsInHumans project and to the School of Law and Criminology and Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute for their support in the organising of this event on IP and MedTech, and supporting the creation of this artwork.
Art has come to play an important role in the dissemination of ERC PatentsInHumans research findings and project workshops more generally. Eimear McNally has previously created a workshop graphic for another PatentsInHumans workshop (18th June 2026) which focused on patents, bioethics, and human rights. This artwork can be viewed here. Previously, Eimear McNally also designed an illustration which represented the key findings of an article Prof McMahon published in Medical Law Review. Prof McMahon and Eimear McNally published a blogpost which reflects on their experiences of using art as a means to support broader dissemination of academic research and greater public engagement with its findings, which is available here.
The PatentsInHumans project is funded by the European Union (ERC, PatentsInHumans, Project No. 101042147). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.