We were delighted to host Vaughan Gething, Welsh Minister for Economy, and Robert Troy, Irish Minister of State for Trade Promotion at our Cardiff site on Friday 22 October 2021.
Vaughan Gething MS and Robert Troy TD visited Life Sciences Hub Wales’ offices, based in Cardiff Bay, to discuss how we are helping to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative solutions for health and social care in Wales.
Both Ministers, alongside delegates from Enterprise Ireland, Welsh Government, and the Government of Ireland, were hosted by Life Sciences Hub Wales’ Dr Chris Martin, Chair, Dr Rhodri Griffiths, Innovation Adoption Director, and Cari-Anne Quinn, CEO (who joined virtually).
The group came together to meet partner organisations who are playing a critical role in driving transformation, exploring how initiatives such as Digital Health Ecosystem Wales and Accelerate are collaborating with innovators across industry, health, and social care to improve health and economic wellbeing. Companies such as GoggleMinds also discussed how their projects are shaping the future of our health and social care services.
They also met leaders from Irish-Welsh collaboration projects such as CALIN to learn about the strength of such partnerships and the impact they are having on life sciences innovation and whole system transformation.
The visit coincides with the inaugural Ireland Wales Ministerial forum, which follows the launch of the Wales Ireland Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan signed by both nations. This focussed on identifying several common areas for closer cooperation.
Chris Martin, Chair at Life Sciences Hub Wales, said:
"We are delighted to have welcomed both Ministers to Life Sciences Hub Wales to showcase how initiatives and companies from across Wales are helping to drive between health and economic benefit. Both nations are home to some incredible organisations advancing the development and adoption of innovative solutions, and it was fantastic to discuss how we can accelerate such progress by strengthening Welsh-Irish partnerships."
Robert Troy TD, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation for the Government of Ireland, said:
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Life Sciences Hub Wales to see first-hand the innovative work which is being undertaken on a cross-sector basis across industry, health care, and social care. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of investment in life sciences and health technology, and it is initiatives such as this that foster greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing on both sides of the Irish sea. I hope that more companies from Ireland and Wales will continue making these valued connections and working together to develop and drive forward innovation in these sectors.”
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