Alberta Goes to Ireland: MedTech Mission 2026

5 days ago

5 min read

In May, IATA welcomed five Irish companies to Alberta on our first inbound delegation. In September, the corridor ran the other way. From September 21 to 24, IATA led its sixth Alberta delegation to Ireland: four life sciences companies travelling to the country that is home to 14 of the world’s 15 largest medtech companies and to Medical Technology Ireland, Europe’s second-largest medtech exhibition and conference.

Ireland’s advantage for a medtech company is concentration. Clinicians, manufacturers, investors, regulators and research centres sit within a train ride of each other. The mission was built to give Alberta companies a structured way into that ecosystem in four days.

The Delegation

Four companies made up this year’s delegation, spanning research services, diagnostics, medical devices and therapeutics:

Medlior Health Outcomes Research is a Calgary-based health economics and outcomes research firm. It helps life sciences companies prove the value of their products with real-world evidence, economic evaluation, health technology assessment and evidence synthesis.
Pavonis Diagnostics is an Edmonton company that developed VICA, a label-free protein detection platform. VICA uses thin-film light interference to show protein binding directly on a test slide, delivering results in minutes in the lab or the field at a fraction of the cost of conventional assays.
SmileSonica is an Edmonton medical device company and maker of the Aevo System, a prescription device that uses low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to help shorten orthodontic treatment. Built on University of Alberta research, the device is used in orthodontic and dental clinics across Canada and is CE marked for Europe.
WWiKY Biosciences is an Edmonton company developing theranostics, radiopharmaceuticals that use the same molecule to both image and treat cancer. Its patented technologies target hypoxic, low-oxygen tumours, which are often resistant to therapy, with the goal of more precise and personalized cancer care.

Each company arrived at a different stage, so the program was designed to offer value across the group: market intelligence, government and agency briefings, research and training partners, and direct access to Ireland’s medtech supply chain. As part of the mission, all four companies join IATA as members for the year ahead, and we are glad to welcome them to the IATA community.

The Program

Over four days, the delegation met organizations at every point in Ireland’s life sciences ecosystem: an innovation testbed, government, a world-leading training institute, the legal and professional community, an inward investment agency, a talent specialist, a technological university, a scale-up hub and Europe’s second-largest medtech exhibition.

Dublin: Monday, September 21

Smart D8 at The Digital Hub. The mission opened in Dublin’s Liberties at The Digital Hub, a centre for digital technology, enterprise and innovation managed by a state agency established in 2003. The visit was led by Smart D8, a real-world population health and wellbeing demonstrator operating in Dublin 8 since 2021. Smart D8 brings together healthcare providers, public bodies, enterprise, academia and the community, and uses Dublin 8’s 45,000-person catchment to test new health technologies and services with real users. Delegates heard how Smart D8 supports innovators through real-world testing and market validation, and met two companies based at The Digital Hub.

Embassy of Canada in Ireland. Ambassador Dennis King and Senior Trade Commissioner Adeline Grenier hosted the delegation for lunch and a briefing on the Canada-Ireland relationship and the trade services available to Canadian companies entering the Irish and EU markets. For companies new to Ireland, the Embassy is an essential first door.

NIBRT. The afternoon took the delegation to NIBRT, Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training. Opened in 2011 as a not-for-profit consortium of industry, academia and government, NIBRT trains more than 4,900 people a year in an 8,300 square metre facility that simulates a working biopharma manufacturing plant. It also collaborates with industry on research, licenses its training model to partners around the world, and in 2026 was appointed a WHO Regional Training Hub. NIBRT’s partnership with Canada in biomanufacturing training was named in this year’s Canada-Ireland joint statement.

Simmons & Simmons. The day closed at The Shelbourne with the Alberta-Ireland Life Sciences Roundtable Dinner, hosted by IATA partner Simmons & Simmons. The international law firm, which has a dedicated life sciences practice and an office in Dublin, brought together guests from across Irish life sciences, giving delegates a candid view of the sector from people working in it every day.

Athlone and Galway: Tuesday, September 22

IDA Ireland Midlands. IDA Ireland, the state agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment, hosted the delegation at its office in Athlone. The Midlands is home to more than 50 IDA client companies employing over 8,000 people, and Athlone itself hosts major medtech and pharma operations, including Medtronic, Solventum and Novo Nordisk. The briefing gave delegates a direct view of what establishing an Irish base outside Dublin involves.

Cpl. Over lunch, Cpl, one of Ireland’s largest recruitment and workforce solutions companies, briefed the group on Ireland’s life sciences talent market, a practical question for any company weighing an Irish base.

TUS. The delegation then visited the Technological University of the Shannon, whose principal campus is in Athlone. TUS is built to work with industry, through seven research institutes, including the PRISM polymer and materials institute, and four technology gateways. Its Applied Polymer Technologies gateway specializes in polymer processing and medical device materials and works with more than 170 companies, including global medtech leaders, on everything from prototyping and materials testing to co-funded research. SAIT and TUS signed a collaborative agreement in 2024, adding an Alberta link to the visit.

Platform94. The group travelled west by train to Galway for a business roundtable at Platform94. Led by CEO Marie Donnellan, Platform94 grew out of the Galway Technology Centre, founded in 1994, and today focuses on helping businesses in the West of Ireland scale internationally. Its building is home to around 100 companies, and its Scale by Platform94 community connects growth companies across the West and Midlands. The roundtable brought delegates together with Galway business leaders from a range of sectors.

Medical Technology Ireland: September 23 and 24

The mission finished with two full days at Medical Technology Ireland at Galway Racecourse, Europe’s second-largest medical device design and manufacturing exhibition and conference. Galway sits at the centre of one of the world’s densest medtech clusters, and the event puts the Irish medtech supply chain in one place: contract manufacturers, component and materials suppliers, testing and regulatory specialists, distributors, investors and research centres, alongside a conference program on the issues shaping the sector.

Preparation made the difference in a show of this size. Before the doors opened, the team researched the exhibitor floor and matched each delegate with the exhibitors most relevant to their business, so the two days were spent in targeted conversations rather than walking the aisles.

Delegates divided their time between those meetings, the conference sessions and the conversations that happen on a busy exhibition floor.

In Their Own Words

“Critical for the stage our company is at, and given the tension in global trade relationships.”

Darryl Lesiuk, Co-Founder, SmileSonica Inc.

“All meetings were outstanding and created interactive opportunities.”

Piyush Kumar, President & CEO, WWiKY Biosciences Inc.

“Highly recommend if you’re looking to enter or explore the Irish market!”

Alberta MedTech delegate, 2026

Looking Ahead to 2027

With shared contacts and presentation packages, delegates are following up on introductions made across the week. IATA has been requested to look at 2027 programming for a returning medtech/lifesciences delegation. Watch for updates.

Thank You

MedTech Mission 2026 came together through the generosity of our hosts: Ambassador Dennis King, Senior Trade Commissioner Adeline Grenier and the team at the Embassy of Canada in Ireland; IDA Ireland, both in Canada and the Midlands team in Athlone; NIBRT; Smart D8 at The Digital Hub; Cpl; TUS; Platform94; IATA partner Simmons & Simmons; and the Medical Technology Ireland team in Galway. Thank you as well to our delegate companies for their energy and openness all week.

Join the Next Mission

IATA missions are open to member companies. If your organization is considering Ireland or the wider EU, or you are an Irish company looking at Alberta, Canada, talk to us about membership and the 2027 program.