EIC takes 20 European med‑tech firms to FIME 2022 in Miami

Between 27 and 29 July 2022 a delegation of 20 small and medium sized med‑tech companies supported by the European Innovation Council attended the Florida International Medical Exhibition, FIME 2022, in Miami. The EIC hosted a European Pavilion that grouped a range of medical devices, disposables, monitoring apps, telemedicine systems and rehabilitation products. The delegation combined startups and scaleups that had previously received EIC funding with the objective of accelerating international commercialisation in the Americas.

Who was there from Europe

The EIC-selected delegation represented medical technology firms from across Europe and associated countries. The list below follows the EIC Community selection announcement and identifies the country cited for each exhibiting company.

EIC and local partners organised briefing, workshop and reception

Ahead of and during the fair the European Innovation Council worked with the European American Chamber of Commerce Florida to stage a welcome reception and a business workshop. The event was hosted by the law firm Greenberg Traurig and brought the European Pavilion delegation together with regional business leaders and local authorities. Speakers and panels covered practical topics intended to shorten the learning curve for European companies entering US and regional markets.

Highlights on stage and in the exhibition

The European Pavilion presented a cross section of med‑tech categories on display at FIME: digital wearable devices, patient monitoring applications, disposable products, telemedicine systems and rehabilitation solutions. On the conference programme, the Healthcare Transformation Zone hosted sessions on scientific insights and future trends. Grzegorz Ambroziewicz, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Innovation Council Accelerator, delivered a keynote entitled Scaling up game changing innovations under the Healthcare Transformation Talks banner.

What the EIC says the Overseas Trade Fairs Programme delivers

The EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0 is framed as a commercialisation instrument to help EIC funded SMEs, startups and scaleups develop market entry strategies in non‑EU markets and to bolster the EU innovation brand internationally. The 2.0 programme builds on a pilot run in 2017 to 2018 and planned activity for 2022 and 2023 included participation opportunities at around 15 international trade fairs across different sectors and regions.

Context and critical perspective

Trade fairs are a long established channel for young med‑tech companies to gain visibility and to meet distributors, procurers and clinical champions. They are a useful part of an internationalisation playbook, especially where firms need to demonstrate a physical product or run live demos. The EIC’s involvement reduces cost and administrative burden for participating companies and packages a set of support services that can increase the quality of interactions onsite.

Companies in the Pavilion will likely face hurdles typical for med‑tech internationalisation. These include navigating US Food and Drug Administration requirements or analogous state level rules, establishing local legal entities or distribution agreements, clarifying reimbursement pathways for devices and diagnostics, managing intellectual property and data protection across jurisdictions, and securing the capital and sales channels needed to scale. EIC support for market briefings and coaching helps address some of these needs but cannot substitute for regulatory and commercial due diligence.

Practical suggestions for improving trade fair impact

If the goal is to assess whether pavilion participation drives commercialization there are a number of steps organisers and beneficiaries could adopt to improve evidence and outcomes.

What to watch next

The EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0 continued activity through 2022 and 2023 across multiple trade fairs. Observers and stakeholders should look for follow up reporting from participants and the EIC that quantifies commercial outcomes. For firms, event participation is an early step. True market entry will be determined by regulatory strategy, sales channel conversion, and the ability to secure working capital for scale. For the EIC, improving transparency on outcomes will strengthen the case for continued public support of internationalisation efforts.

Data and sources included in this article

This article is based on the European Innovation Council and EIC Community announcements about the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme and the European Pavilion at FIME 2022, material published by the European American Chamber of Commerce Florida about the associated workshop and reception, and company lists released by the EIC Community. Attendance and exhibitor figures come from FIME organiser communications. Company claims such as clinical evidence and certifications were referenced from participating companies' public statements where available and remain subject to independent verification.