EIC brings 20 European medtech innovators to Arab Health 2023 in Dubai

Brussels, February 3rd 2023

Summary

›From 30 January to 2 February 2023 the European Innovation Council brought 20 EIC-funded medtech companies to Arab Health in Dubai.
›The European Pavilion showcased digital health tools and medical devices to an audience of roughly 60 000 attendees and more than 4 000 exhibitors.
›The Innov8 Talks startup competition and a high level jury featuring an EISMEA EIC representative highlighted UN Sustainable Development Goals alignment.
›The visit formed part of the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0 which supports commercialisation and internationalisation of EIC beneficiaries.
›Next EIC trade fair delegation under the programme was planned for Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.

EIC brings 20 European medtech innovators to Arab Health 2023 in Dubai

Between 30 January and 2 February 2023 the European Innovation Council staged a European Pavilion at Arab Health in Dubai. Arab Health bills itself as the leading medical equipment exhibition in the Middle East. This edition gathered participants from across the healthcare sector and delivered a visible platform for European small and medium sized enterprises to promote products and meet potential partners in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Organisers reported almost 60 000 attendees and more than 4 000 exhibitors from 163 countries. For the European Pavilion the EIC selected 20 awardees to exhibit technologies spanning digital health and medical devices. The showcased portfolio included remote sensing and wearables, telemedicine, predictive modelling, wellness and behaviour modification tools and clinical devices.

Why Arab Health matters for European medtech startups

Arab Health is one of the largest regular meeting places for healthcare suppliers and purchasers in the MENA region. For innovators the appeal is twofold. First it concentrates buyers, hospital executives and distributors across the regional healthcare market. Second it offers high visibility to local partners who can help with regulatory pathways, procurement practices and market adaptation. That said trade fairs are not a magic bullet. Converting meetings into sales requires post-event follow up, regulatory readiness and distribution agreements that often take months to complete.

Practical scale of the event:Organisers reported roughly 60 000 attendees and over 4 000 exhibitors from 163 countries. Large scale does not automatically equal commercial success, but it does increase opportunity for qualified introductions and visibility in markets that can be hard to reach from Europe.

Who exhibited from the EIC pavilion

The EIC exhibition at Arab Health 2023 formed part of the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0. The following EIC-backed companies were selected to represent the European Pavilion and demonstrate their technologies in Dubai.

Company	Country
Arspectra	Luxembourg
Bialoom	Cyprus
BrainTrip	Malta
Cercare Medical	Denmark
Gleechi AB	Sweden
INGENIARS	Italy
InSphero	Switzerland
Kiversal	Spain
Licofarma	Italy
Medical Simulation Technologies	Poland
MultiplexDX	Slovakia
MYSPHERA	Spain
Norlase	Denmark
OPHIOMICS	Portugal
ORTHO BALTIC	Lithuania
PPlus Products	United Kingdom
SDS Optic	Poland
Smart Soft Healthcare	Bulgaria
STAB VIDA	Portugal
UpSurgeOn	Italy

Programming highlights and jury selection

The event included the Innov8 Talks start up competition which showcased early and later stage companies pitching solutions across prevention, diagnostics, operations and patient management. As part of the competition Viorel Peca the EIC Head of Unit at EISMEA served on a high level jury tasked with selecting start ups whose products or ideas align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Innov8 Talks explained:Innov8 Talks is a start up competition embedded in the trade fair that gives innovators a short pitch slot in front of a mixed audience of buyers investors and clinicians. The format promotes visibility but offers limited time to evaluate clinical evidence or commercial readiness.

EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0

The European Innovation Council runs the Overseas Trade Fairs Programme to support EIC-funded SMEs and startups in developing international commercialisation strategies. The 2.0 iteration ran through 2022 and 2023 and offered beneficiaries a chance to exhibit at up to 15 international trade fairs across sectors and markets. The programme bundles exhibition space with preparatory workshops market briefings and business development services aimed at improving the companies chances of turning contacts into contracts.

What the OTF 2.0 support typically includes:Support measures include end to end logistics for exhibition attendance coaching on pitching and market approach pre departure market briefings matchmaking and follow up mechanisms. Such services reduce some barriers for SMEs but do not replace the need for companies to be commercially ready and to invest in local regulatory and distribution work.

Next stop for EIC delegations

Following Arab Health the EIC scheduled its next Overseas Trade Fairs delegation to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from 27 February to 2 March 2023. Under the OTF Programme 2.0 the EIC also planned participations across other international fairs to maintain visibility for European funded innovators.

Event	Location	Dates
Arab Health 2023	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	30 Jan - 2 Feb 2023
Mobile World Congress 2023	Barcelona, Spain	27 Feb - 2 Mar 2023

Critical perspective on trade fair participation

Trade fairs provide concentrated exposure and networking opportunities. That makes them useful for early market testing partner discovery and branding. However trade fairs can also produce a high volume of low quality leads. Converting introductions into revenue typically requires follow up investment in regulatory work clinical validation if relevant and distribution agreements adapted to local procurement rules. Observers should therefore treat participation as one step in an extended commercialisation process rather than as a standalone pathway to market.

How to find more information and apply

EIC beneficiaries and interested companies could find programme details open calls and application guidance on the EIC Community platform. The EIC also published practical resources such as an "Application Dos and DONTs" video to help applicants prepare successful submissions and to maximise their chances of selection.

For media and community updates the EIC directed audiences to its social media channels including Twitter and LinkedIn and to the EIC Community platform for stories open calls and events.