EU Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva has visited Dublin for meetings and events focused on research, entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence.
Zaharieva attended the International AI Summit in Dublin, alongside Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, where she delivered a keynote speech titled “European Ambition & Innovation & Research Ecosystem,” the European Commission reported in a release on Wednesday.
Europe hosts nearly 7,000 AI start-ups, has three times as many AI professionals per capita as China, and its pool of tech talent is growing faster than in the United States.
Zaharieva also held bilateral meetings with representatives from DeepL, Nuritas, Google DeepMind and Analog Devices during the visit.
Meetings at Trinity and Ireland’s start-up ranking
On Tuesday, Zaharieva visited the Trinity Innovation Hub at Trinity College Dublin, where she met students, entrepreneurs and innovators.
She also took part in a roundtable discussion at Europe House on Ireland’s research ecosystem and its potential for further growth.
Ireland ranks seventh among EU member states in the 2025 European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard, according to the European Commission.
