About Ireland-Alberta Trade Association (IATA)

Since 2000, the Ireland-Alberta Trade Association (IATA) has worked to strengthen trade and investment between Alberta and Ireland — two economies aligned across technology, life sciences, agri-food, renewable energy and financial services. IATA has led multiple trade missions in both directions, bringing Alberta companies into Ireland and Irish companies into Alberta in sectors where the two markets align, and connecting companies in-market with prospective clients, research partners and collaborators.

Inside Ireland’s MedTech and Life Sciences Sector

Ireland has quietly become one of the most concentrated medtech and pharma hubs in the world. The country is home to 14 of the top 15 global medtech firms and more than 300 medtech companies overall, employing roughly 50,000 people. It ranks as Europe’s second-largest exporter of medical devices and technologies, producing 80% of the world’s stents, 75% of the world’s replacement knees, and a third of the world’s contact lenses.

On the pharmaceutical side, Ireland is the world’s third-largest pharma exporter, and 65% of global medtech firms conducting R&D do so on Irish soil, supported by specialty research centres such as Tyndall, AMBER, and CÚRAM, and a regulatory framework spanning the HPRA, EMA, and FDA.

The sector’s momentum shows up in the headlines. In the past year, Boston Scientific committed €75 million to expand cardiovascular R&D in Galway; Siemens Healthineers opened a new €10 million diagnostics R&D centre in Swords; Johnson & Johnson MedTech deepened its neurovascular research hub in Galway; and G&F Precision Molding opened its first Irish facility to serve the medtech supply chain directly.

As Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo has said of the company’s Irish operations: “The number of people we have, the innovative spirit we have, the fact that in Ireland we have all the different divisions present creates tremendous collaboration across divisions.”

Join Us on the Road

This September, IATA is leading a trade mission to Ireland for Alberta life sciences and health technology companies, running September 21–24, 2026. The itinerary pairs a strategic day of executive meetings and networking in Dublin with two days at Medical Technology Ireland — Europe’s second-largest medtech event — in Galway.

Delegates get direct access to Irish industry leaders and health system contacts.

To learn more or connect with us, visit www.IrelandAlbertaTrade.com or reach out directly to President@IrelandAlbertaTrade.com — we’d love to hear from you.