Minister Dara Calleary leads Trade Mission to the UAE, promoting Irish healthcare innovation to the UAE and the wider Middle East region

• Enterprise Ireland client exports to the UAE increased by 22% in 2022, valued at €161.5m.

• 16 Irish health innovators will exhibit at Ireland’s national pavilion at Arab Health, the leading medical industry exhibition in the Middle East.

• Trade Mission includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Enterprise Ireland and Dubai Chambers, providing Irish companies with a global platform for growth and promoting Irish investment in the region.

• Medical Eguides Ltd (MEG) announces a five-year contract to implement healthcare quality management software system across all M42 facilities in the UAE.

30 January 2024: Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary TD commences a four-day trade mission with Enterprise Ireland to Dubai today, to strengthen existing economic ties between Ireland and the UAE. Leading the trade mission on behalf of Enterprise Ireland will be CEO, Leo Clancy.

The UAE represents a significant growth market for Irish businesses with Irish innovation continuing to be in demand. Exports by Irish companies backed by Enterprise Ireland continues to grow substantially year on year. In 2022, exports to the UAE increased by 22% with a value of €161.5m. 

To further enhance trade collaboration between the two nations, Minister Calleary and Leo Clancy will meet with UAE ministers, heads of organisations and business leaders to discuss the latest developments and innovation in the sectors of medtech, aviation, artificial intelligence and fintech. 

Leading the trade mission, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital, and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary, emphasised, “I’m delighted to lead this trade mission to the UAE to support Enterprise Ireland-backed companies across the healthcare, aviation, and technology sectors, establish and grow their footprint across the region. This visit is also an important opportunity to reconnect with our partners in the UAE to identify further opportunities and explore areas for collaboration, as well as generate awareness of Ireland’s world leading innovation offering.”

Highlights of the Trade Mission programme include a meeting between Ireland and the Executive Council of Dubai, followed by a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Enterprise Ireland and Dubai Chambers. This pivotal agreement is strategically designed to unlock lucrative opportunities for clients of Enterprise Ireland, especially in the areas of technology, manufacturing, ESG, and clean technologies.

Welcoming this new strategic partnership, Minister Dara Calleary TD said: “The UAE and the wider Middle East region have emerged as important markets for Irish companies in recent years, which witnessed an increase of 22% in Irish exports in 2022, ably supported by our network of Enterprise Ireland market advisors based in the region. There are no doubt significant opportunities in the region, and the new partnership Dubai Chambers will provide Irish companies a global platform for growth and evolution in the region.”

During the trade mission, the Minister will also hold meetings with Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Airlines and Dubai International Airport. There are approximately 250 Irish companies operating in the aviation and aerospace sector that have played a pivotal role in shaping the industry's success in the Middle East. Notably, 200 of these companies are active Enterprise Ireland clients, contributing significantly to the Irish economy (€1.8 bn). With a range of Irish companies already supporting the UAE aviation sector, there is an opportunity to build further upon this especially as Irish travel tech companies provide innovative solutions for the world’s leading airlines.

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland said, “Irish companies continue to make a positive impact in the UAE healthcare, aviation and fintech sectors and right across the Middle East region, working closely with their partners. This week’s Trade Mission aligns with Enterprise Ireland’s goal to help Irish companies grow, export and expand internationally.The UAE is a growing market for Ireland that supports over 13,500 jobs in Ireland through the Irish companies that export to the country. 
Irish healthcare companies are competing and winning against global competition, and this is acknowledged in the calibre of Irish companies attending Arab Health this week”. 

The trade mission coincides with Arab Health 2024, where the Minister will be supporting a delegation of 16 Irish health innovators participating in Ireland’s national pavilion. 

Minister Calleary and Leo Clancy will welcome a series of key announcements and partnerships taking place this week by several of the Enterprise Ireland supported companies, participating at Arab Health including:

• Dubai Police Headquarters awarded the Healthy Place to Work® designation, the first official certification in the Middle East. Based in Dublin, the Irish organisation Healthy Place to Work® is the recognised standard for workforce health. 

• A five-year partnership between Medical Eguides Ltd. (MEG) and M42 to implement a quality management software system across all M42 facilities in the UAE. The partnership marks a major step towards unifying quality and compliance processes across the M42 network, improving patient care and streamlining administrative tasks for staff.  MEG, a digital quality management system for healthcare is also set to announce a series of platform enhancements in 2024. These include advanced analytics capabilities, state of the art planning tools, and enhanced hospital system integration capabilities. 

• myPatientSpace, a leading innovative digital health company powering connected patient solutions for global healthcare providers and life sciences companies has launched a Digital Patient Support Program in partnership with Manzil Healthcare Services. 

• Fleming Medical have announced a partnership with Al Essa Medical Company, a Kuwait based medical equipment distributor, to provide patients with wound care, sports therapy and diagnostics. Fleming Medical have also expanded its product reach within the UAE markets through key partnerships with Al-Ain Pharmacy group, MPC Pharmacy, Med 7 Group via distribution partner Muscat Pharmacy Training LLC. 

• Global supplier of software and vehicle solutions within the emergency services market, AceTech announces an upward growth of $30m in contracts, which is set to grow over the next five years. Further total revenue has grown to $6m a year, with additional growth anticipated with Hamad Medical Qatar, Dubai Ambulance and the Ministry of Health – Saudi Arabia. Acetech designs innovative cloud-based fleet performance software, specialist modules for safety, eco-friendliness and asset protection, and intelligent control systems for healthcare providers and government bodies.

• Vitalograph, the expert in pulmonary function and respiratory diagnostics that provides solutions to healthcare professionals around the world, announces the onboarding and training of four new distribution partners following the global launch of VitaloPFT Series at Arab Health last year (2023). 

ENDS

For further information:
Louise Cunningham
Enterprise Ireland 
Louise.cunningham@enterprise-ireland.com