Resources

With Brexit taking effect, Ireland is well-positioned to be the primary entrance for English-speaking business into the EU.

Ireland has solidified its status as a global technology hub by attracting and retaining a range of multinational companies, including 9 of the top 10 US ICT companies, mainly due to its high quality labor market. Ireland exports 97% of its domestic ICT production globally, which contributes to over €50 billion to the economy, making it the second largest exporter of ICT related goods and services in the world.

The ICT industry in Ireland is forecasted to grow at a rate of over 5% per annum over the next several years. The leading sub-sectors within the Irish ICT market include IT infrastructure, software and computer services, and cloud related computing services.

End-user demand is resulting in an increase in the development and offering of SaaS and PaaS packages. Consumers are beginning to demand more bespoke, tailored versions of such packages that meet their specific requirements.

This report examines the ICT market in Ireland, as well as market entry approaches and key players.

The healthcare market in Ireland is valued at approximately €16.8 billion, and operates under a two-tier system, consisting of both public and private sectors.

The public healthcare system is heavily funded by the Irish Government. A large proportion of expenditure goes towards hospitals and ambulatory health care providers, of which curative and rehabilitative care and long-term care receive the largest financial support.

The long waitlists for Ireland’s public health system turn many people to private insurance. Private insurance is regulated by the Health Insurance Authority (HIA). The percentage of the population covered by private health insurance has risen slightly between 2013 and 2017, from 41.4% to 42.8%.

A key trend driving the Irish healthcare market is technological advancement and innovation. Ireland is known for its vibrant MedTech ecosystem, which focuses on the development and integration of new technologies into medical devices.

This report examines the healthcare market in Ireland, as well as market entry approaches and key players.

In its first years in NATO, Poland took part in multiple training exercises with the allies. In 1999, the Multinational Corps Northeast Command was formed and played an important role in strengthening multi-country cooperation, especially with its closest allies, neighboring countries.

The Polish Army also joined international missions, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. In these missions, the Army was able to refine its procedures and equipment. In 2015, Poland was the first NATO country from the Eastern flank to take the role of a Framework State, in the format of Special Forces.

Over its two decades of membership, Poland became strongly integrated with the Alliance both politically and militarily. NATO became Poland’s guarantor of security and contributed to a large-scale transformation of its army through introduction of NATO standards and procedures. Thanks to shared know-how and participation in international exercises, Polish soldiers learned to interact directly with their allies.

Today, the Polish Army is a pillar of NATO on the Eastern flank and cooperates with US and NATO forces in the region on daily basis, while also participating in missions in Kosovo, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.

Despite many programs, technical modernization of the Polish army has not been completed. Most units – even those assigned to NATO operations – continue to operate outdated post-Soviet equipment, not suitable for upgrade. This presents Poland’s biggest challenge in NATO.

This report examines the Defense and Security market in Poland, providing overviews of the Polish Armed Forces, Homeland Security, market opportunities, and the public procurement system.

As one of the richest nations in the world, Australia is currently in a strong economic position. Over the last quarter century, Australia’s medium-sized AU$1.7 trillion economy (ranked 14th in the world), has proven exceptionally resilient, recording 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth.

As part of the larger autonomous systems sector, Australian industry and government have identified unmanned vehicles as a critical component in the nation’s future economic success, and the sector offers Australia an important opportunity to drive the next wave of economic growth.

For the purpose of this report, the Australian unmanned vehicles sector has been split into three sub-categories:

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Land Vehicles
• Autonomous Road Vehicles

Australia is well-placed to capitalize on the global growth in unmanned vehicles, and the Australian unmanned vehicles sector offers compelling opportunities for Virginia-based companies looking to do business in the market. Over the next five years, the Asia-Pacific region is forecast to be the fastest growing sector of the global unmanned vehicles market.

As one of the richest nations in the world, Australia is currently in a strong economic position. Over the last quarter century, Australia’s medium-sized AU$1.7 trillion economy (ranked 14th in the world), has proven exceptionally resilient, recording 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth.

Maturity in Australia’s cybersecurity sector means that Australia is well positioned to provide an ideal growth environment for cyber businesses, with existing strengths in core research areas such as quantum computation, wireless technology, trustworthy systems and niche high-value hardware. While the global cybersecurity market is forecast to grow rapidly over the coming years, cybersecurity spending in the Indo-Pacific region is expected to increase faster than the global average. Several Indo-Pacific countries (e.g. China, India, Malaysia, Singapore) are emerging as significant buyers of cybersecurity solutions, and according to AustCyber’s Cyber Competitiveness Plan, the region will account for approximately one-quarter of global cybersecurity spending by 2026.

This report is intended to provide Virginia exporters with a general overview of Australia’s cybersecurity sector, as well as offer specific insights into the status of cybersecurity in Australia’s healthcare, defense, critical infrastructure and banking, financial services and insurance sectors.

As one of the richest nations in the world, Australia is currently in a strong economic position. Over the last quarter century, Australia’s medium-sized AU$1.7 trillion economy (ranked 14th in the world), has proven exceptionally resilient, recording 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth. Both Australian industry and government have recognized that emerging technology and digital innovation are critical ingredients to the nation’s ongoing economic success, and offer Australia the opportunity to drive the next wave of economic growth. Australia’s future economic prosperity depends on its ability to harness emerging technologies, and follow the lead of countries who are already investing heavily in the digital economy to take advantage of the significant economic and social opportunities that it presents.

The ICT & Emerging Technology section of this report is intended to provide Virginia companies with a general overview of the sector in Australia, as well as offer specific insights into three key strategic areas that have been identified as critical to the next wave of Australian economic growth:

• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
• Software

This report also includes an overview of the Australian Digital Health sector as an additional sector undergoing digital transformation that present opportunities to Virginia exporters.

The next wave of digital innovation – the Fourth Industrial Revolution – plays to many of Australia’s existing competitive strengths and economic imperatives, and will create new markets, products and services in industries where Australia has a significant presence, such as mining, resources, and agriculture. Australia remains well-paced to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by digital innovation, and the Australian emerging technology sector offers compelling opportunities for Virginia-based companies looking to do business in the market.