News & Events

Minister Richmond to attend Health Economy Conference in Germany

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond TD, travels to Rostock in Germany today to attend the 18th National Conference on Health Economy.

The two day conference (Wednesday and Thursday) will be attended by over 700 national and international experts from the health industry. A trade exhibition will also run alongside the conference which will increase the visibility and awareness of Ireland’s offering in the industry.

Minister Richmond said:

“I am delighted to attend this event as Ireland’s representative and meet with senior leaders across industry and Government to further strengthen our excellent relationship with Germany.

“Ireland’s reputation as a global location of excellence in medtech and next-gen biopharma products is a result of our continued investment in innovation. Investing in leading-edge healthcare and health technology drives economic performance, but more importantly it helps us to discover new innovations which can improve healthcare standards for our citizens, allowing people to live longer, healthier lives with more independence.”

Ireland is partner country to the conference this year, which presents a valuable opportunity to strengthen the development of the healthcare industry and to foster the relationship between Ireland and Germany.

Since 2005, the conference has developed into one of the health industry’s most important annual meeting points, providing a platform for establishing and intensifying contacts between key industry representatives.

The programme will include presentations from Ireland’s enterprise agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, along will panel discussions with representatives from Science Foundation Ireland, the Tyndall National Institute, and the Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

The life sciences sector in Ireland contributes significantly to our economy, accounting for over €100 billion in exports and employing over 80,000 people in Ireland in activities ranging from manufacturing, R&D, supply chain and a variety of EMEA and global services.

Germany is an important export market for Ireland’s medical and pharmaceutical products with our trading relationship growing all the time. In 2021, the total value of Ireland's trade with Germany was valued at €53bn which marks a 155% increase in the 10 years since 2011.