EU Business Hub @ KIMES 2026

EU Business Hub @ KIMES 2026 will select up to 50 European SMEs to visit the Republic of Korea to kick-start their internationalisation path in the Healthcare and Medical Equipment sector. The EU Business Hub will provide an EU Pavilion – with a booth for each participating company – at the KIMES 2026 exhibition, a valuable platform for companies to showcase their products and services, demonstrations, networking and customer acquisition. 

The business mission will take place from 18 to 22 March 2026 and provides an excellent opportunity for networking and connecting with potential Korean business partners and industry leaders. At the EU Pavilion, a dedicated team of business coaching staff and professional interpreters will be available to promote each European company’s products and technologies, assuring maximum exposure to exhibition visitors. A networking event during the business mission will also increase the opportunities to connect with potential business partners and clients.

Watch here how the previous edition of this business mission, Healthcare and Medical Equipment Korea 2025, helped participants expand to the Republic of Korea!

Target audience

European SMEs, including start-ups and innovative enterprises, active in the healthcare and medical equipment industry or related sectors, across all parts of the value chain, such as:

• Assistive technologies, Medical equipment
• ICT for healthcare
• Telemedicine and remote health monitoring
• Nanotechnology in healthcare
• AI applications in healthcare
• Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering

Business operators in the Republic of Korea, especially:

• Buyers and distributors of healthcare and medical equipment products
• R&D institutions and partners (both public and private)
• Investors with interest in advanced healthcare technologies and medical equipment

Overview of the business mission

The business mission to Seoul will last five days in total, including four days of dedicated business matchmaking and networking at KIMES 2026, a business networking reception, a study tour, and many more activities.

The business mission agenda is as follows:

• Day 1: Arrival in Seoul, welcome & networking gathering, briefing session, and study tour.
• Day 2: Exhibition at KIMES 2026, business matchmaking sessions, and business networking reception.
• Day 3: Exhibition at KIMES 2026 and business matchmaking sessions
• Day 4: Exhibition at KIMES 2026 and business matchmaking sessions
• Day 5: Last exhibition day at KIMES 2026 and of business matchmaking sessions, debriefing session.

Services and benefits for EU participants

• Business matchmaking resulting in pre-arranged in-person meetings with carefully selected enterprises in the Republic of Korea.
• Market intelligence including sectoral briefings providing valuable insights on market structure and potential opportunities.
• Cultural and linguistic support such as briefings on doing business in RoK and support for interpretation and translation.
• Financial support for additional customised services co-funded by the project (e.g. translation, printing, legal advice, booth decoration covered for 80% and up to €1,000).
• Hotel accommodation for four nights – in total, up to €1,000 for accommodation is covered by the programme (1 room/company for 4 nights)
• Coverage of the exhibitor fee at KIMES 2026 

Key market insights

Participating to EU Business Hub @ KIMES 2026 represents a unique opportunity for European SMEs:

• The Republic of Korea is Asia’s 4th and the World’s 13th largest economy.¹
• EU exports to the Republic of Korea in 2022 amounted to €55.7 billion in goods and €19.6 billion in services.²
• As of December 2024, the Republic of Korea transitioned into a super-aged society, with individuals aged 65 and over accounting for more than 20% of the total population. This share is projected to surpass 30% in 2036 and 40% by 2050.³
• The Republic of Korea ranks 11th in the global medical devices market, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% from 2018 to 2023.⁴
• In 2024 and 2025, the Republic of Korea is advancing its strategies for bio-health and digital healthcare markets, with a strong focus on data-driven and AI-based healthcare technologies, supported by substantial government R&D investments and regulatory improvements.⁵
• The Republic of Korea’s pharmaceutical market is expected to continue growing until 2027 with a growth outlook of 4.5~7.5%.⁶
   

^{1 Source: 2024 EU-ROK trade and investment relations, European Union. (Internal document)}

^{2 Source: 2024 EU-ROK trade and investment relations, European Union. (Internal document)}

^{3  Source: 2024 Statistics on the Aged, Statistics Korea.} 

^{4 Source: Worldwide Medical Devices Market Factbook(2024), Fitch Solutions}

^{5 Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea}

^{6 Source: Investment Opportunities/Pharma & Bio, Invest Korea}