The objective of this proposal is the reintegration of Dr. Pádraig Cantillon-Murphy, a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and MIT (Boston, USA), back to Europe, as Assistant Lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). His reintegration will result in (i) research independence and increased European collaboration and funding support for Dr. Cantillon-Murphy, (ii) novel and high-impact research at CIT and (iii) sustained collaborations between Irish and EU engineers, physicians and surgeons. Dr. Cantillon-Murphy's principal research focus at CIT focus will be the development of smart magnetic solutions for minimally invasive surgery.Recent innovations in surgery, such as Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), have the potential to result in scarless surgery, less anesthesia, shorter hospitalisation times, and lower healthcare costs for European citizens. Unlike traditional laparoscopy, which uses 3 or more transcutaneous ports of access, in NOTES, there is no transcutaneous port. Instead, an endoscope is passed though a natural orifice (e.g., mouth) to gain access to the peritoneal cavity via a “transluminal” incision through the stomach. However, one of the fundamental problems facing NOTES to create a secure, leak-free access port to target organs through the gastric wall. Dr. Cantillon-Murphy has developed a safe, simple and cost-effective solution using magnetic self-assembly to overcome this challenge.As faculty at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and in conjunction with the Medical Engineering Design and Innovation Centre (MEDIC) at CIT, Dr. Cantillon-Murphy will continue to pursue ground-breaking engineering solutions to NOTES and other applications of smart magnetic solutions in surgical procedures such as hernia repair, colorectal cancer and obesity intervention.