Research and Development: Gore's Past, Present and Future

In this Q&A, Brandon Hedberg, global research and development (R&D) leader, shares his thoughts on how R&D has played a pivotal role in Gore’s evolution as a medical device manufacturer for the past 50 years — and will drive the next 50 years to come.

How has research and development played a role over the last 50 years, since our start 1975?

If we look back 50 years, research and development wasn’t viewed as a distinct function at Gore — it was simply part of how we worked. When Gore’s medical business began, we were a small team of dedicated Associates, drawing on skills and expertise from across the enterprise, including areas like the wire and cable business.

Over time, our work has evolved significantly. As we’ve expanded our product offerings, the demands on R&D have grown as well. To meet those needs, we’ve focused on building the specific capabilities required to support and advance these products.

How does research and development inform our current work?

Today, more than 800 associates are dedicated to — and specialized in — supporting R&D and our current products.  We recognize the need to think globally and sustainably to meet the demands of our growing new product development pipeline. How will we get there? By building foundational elements that can be combined in different ways to create the capabilities we need now and for the future.

We ground our current work in a deep understanding of these technological building blocks and the unique ways they can be combined. This approach enables us to create the capabilities needed to address the unmet needs of patients.

How will research and development bring us into the future/next 50 years?

I believe our past, present, and future are deeply interconnected. Everything we’ve learned — and everything R&D has built over the last five decades — forms the foundation that will carry us into the next 50 years.

From the beginning, fitness for use and quality have consistently been non-negotiable; they were commitments we made with our very first medical product. That commitment continues today in how we show up for clinicians, how we listen to the problems that truly matter, and how we measure ourselves by whether our products do exactly what we promise. just aspirations; they were commitments we made with our very first medical product. That commitment continues today in how we show up for clinicians, how we listen to the problems that truly matter, and how we measure ourselves by whether our products do exactly what we promise.

Looking ahead, those customer needs will continue to evolve — and many will be challenges uniquely suited for Gore Medical to solve. The next 50 years will demand new technologies, new combinations of capabilities, and new ways of delivering solutions that remain unmistakably “Gore”: dependable, high-performing, and fit for use.

R&D will play a central role in making that future real. We will identify the technologies our customers need and bring them to life through three pathways: developing them through rigorous scientific research, acquiring them when doing so accelerates our ability to deliver value, and partnering or collaborating when technology needs overlap. These approaches will enable an increasingly rapid discovery of the solutions our customers and patients rely on.

At the heart of all of this is a simple truth: we’re here to improve lives. And if the last 50 years have shown us what’s possible, the next 50 are more promising than ever.