Gangwon State (Governor Woo Sang-ho, hereinafter "the State") held the "2026 Gangwon-Alberta Future Industry Cooperation Roundtable" at the Wonju Medical Device Techno Valley on September 22 (Tue), joining forces with a delegation of deputy ministers from Alberta, Canada, led by Senior Deputy Minister Dale McFee, to discuss cooperative measures in the bio-health and digital industries. 

This roundtable serves as an extension of ongoing healthcare cooperation discussions between the two regions, following Alberta Health Minister Justin Wright’s visit to Wonju on September 8. During his visit, Minister Wright examined the current status of the State's public medical institutions, strategies to secure healthcare accessibility in vulnerable areas, and preventive healthcare service systems.

Initiated in 2024 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sisterhood relationship between Gangwon State and Alberta, this roundtable series has steadily progressed. Following the 1st roundtable (September 2024) which shared cutting-edge industrial statuses of both regions, and the 2nd roundtable (February 2025) which discussed hydrogen and ICT cooperation, this latest meeting successfully broadened the cooperative agenda to include bio-health and digital industries.

Sharing Medical Innovation Policies such as AI Healthcare and Digital Twins… Touring Wonju Medical Device Industrial Sites

During the event, the State introduced its ongoing policies, including AI healthcare, medical AX (AI transformation), and digital-twin-converged medical innovation leading projects. Meanwhile, the Alberta delegation shared the current status of Alberta’s bio-health and digital industries while highlighting the significance of the roundtable and future cooperation opportunities.

Following the conference, the Alberta delegation toured the facilities of the Wonju Medical Device Techno Valley, examining the current infrastructure of South Korea's largest medical device industrial cluster.

Local Hearing and Medical Device Companies Pitch for Canadian Market Entry

Two promising companies from Gangwon preparing for entry into Canada gave presentations during the roundtable.

ODSO Co., Ltd., an auditory health platform company, introduced its unmanned AI hearing test kiosk "WithHear" and over 1 million structured hearing data points, built upon South Korea's only private KOLAS (Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme) accredited hearing-aid calibration research institute. They proposed business cooperation models targeting global hearing aid manufacturers (OEM).
NeoAble Co., Ltd., a medical device manufacturer, showcased its pneumatic air-cell-based smart anti-bedsore cushion and AI mattress "NEOX". Their smart cushion secured a 3.5 billion KRW export contract with Japan’s Nissin Medical last May, and user testing is currently underway in the UAE, Australia, and Germany.
Kim Young-gyun, Director-General for International Relations at Gangwon State, stated, "We hope this roundtable will serve as a stepping stone for the State's medical device and digital transformation companies to expand their exports," adding, "We will continue to translate our cooperation with Alberta into tangible corporate achievements."

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