Eight Utah life science companies traveled to Dubai recently as part of the Arab Health trade show. The delegation, which was exhibiting in a booth showcasing the companies and Utah’s life science industry, was the first of its kind from the state to travel abroad since February 2020, due to the pandemic. The delegation was focused on building Utah’s global brand, growing Utah businesses, and strengthening Utah’s network of partners worldwide, a release from World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) said.
Utah has the fastest-growing life science community in the United States and is ranked sixth for medical devices, fifth for diagnostics and is a rising force in bio-pharma. The exhibiting companies were presenting some of Utah’s most innovative healthcare products and biotechnologies, many of which were shared worldwide for the first time.
“Utah’s life science industry is growing rapidly, and we’re proud to have these companies represent the state in this dynamic and life-enhancing industry,” said Dan Hemmert, executive director at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. “International relations are an important part of Utah’s culture, and this is a unique opportunity for these companies to showcase innovative products worldwide and create global relationships.”
“The state’s presence at the Arab Health trade show, one of the first of its size to be held in-person this year, solidifies Utah’s place as an emerging healthcare innovation hub on the world stage,” said Miles Hansen, president and CEO of WTC Utah. “The participating Utah companies not only make Utah look good, but they are also prospecting potential partners, winning contacts, and generating sales they would not have access to otherwise.”
Utah and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a strong trade relationship, Hansen said. The UAE is the largest market for U.S. product exports in the Middle East, with the healthcare sector as one of the six pillars of its national agenda. Utah’s fast-growing life science community is supported by Biohive, which serves as an industry advocate for the life science and healthcare innovation ecosystem in Utah. BioHive contributes to Utah’s national-leading export growth rate and is ready to support international expansion into Dubai, the Middle East and worldwide.
“We have attracted world-class scientists, researchers and engineers to Utah for the last 65 years,” said Katelin Roberts, interim director of BioHive and general partner for MedMountain Ventures. “Utahns have changed millions of lives through better patient outcomes with life-saving catheters, advancements in surgical imaging, and now we are leveraging new technologies for novel drug discovery and therapeutics.”
The following companies were selected to represent the state of Utah at Arab Health: DUB LLC, Neonatal Rescue, Rhodes Global, Quansys Biosciences, Sunwarrior, Turner Imaging Solutions, Vitalpax Inc. and Zehn-X LLC.