Intuitive opens UK’s largest robotic-surgery training centre in Reading

Published: 20-Oct-2025

The biotechnology company, Intuitive Surgical, has opened a 21,000 sqft facility to serve as largest training centre in UK for robotic-assisted surgery

Global technology company Intuitive has opened its new UK and Ireland headquarters in Winnersh Triangle, Reading, which features the UK’s largest training centre for robotic-assisted surgery (RAS).

“Now, with our new expanded regional headquarters and training centre, we’re committing to the future — to expand equity of access for patients to quality, minimally invasive care with da Vinci and Ion systems,” said David Marante, VP of Intuitive UK and Ireland.

The multi-million pound, 21,000 sqft facility will provide hands-on training for thousands more surgeons using the company’s da Vinci and Ion systems.

The company’s training portfolio, accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, has already supported more than 1,300 surgeons in the UK and Ireland and 89,000 globally.

The new site hosts Intuitive’s latest da Vinci 5, Xi and SP surgical systems, as well as the Ion endoluminal platform, and triples the company’s UK footprint. The training centre supports the NHS’s goal of a seven-fold increase in robotic-assisted procedures over the next decade. 

The government’s 10 Year Health Plan names RAS as one of five “Big Bets” to transform the NHS through modern technology.

During the official site opening in mid-October, Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan cut the ribbon of the new centre using the fifth-generation da Vinci 5 surgical system.

Health Innovation Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed, said: “This new training centre will benefit thousands more surgeons and their patients as we build an NHS that is fit for the future.”

Since the UK’s first da Vinci procedure in 2000, more than 300,000 patients across the UK and Ireland have benefited from robotic-assisted surgery, with over 200 systems now operating across the country. 

Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan said: “Intuitive are putting more cutting-edge tech on the frontlines of healthcare, training the next generation of British surgeons and transforming outcomes for patients.”

Intuitive employs more than 120 people across the UK and Ireland and has tripled its training personnel as part of the expansion.

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