Focus: Northern Ireland
High-tech expertise, industrial ingenuity and a great lifestyle make Northern Ireland an attractive inward-investment location
In a global knowledge-based economy,
Northern Ireland does not compete on the
basis of labor or cost, but rather through
the skills, creativity and innovation of its
people. Young, well-educated, inventive
self-starters with a global outlook, they
provide Northern Ireland’s competitive
edge in today’s dynamic and demanding
knowledge economy.
Recognizing that customer-focused innovation is a key driver of productivity and overall competitiveness, Invest Northern Ireland has positioned it at the heart of its business development strategy. We prosper and grow faster by being smarter and more productive than our competitors. Invest Northern Ireland’s objective is to strengthen the region’s competitiveness by assisting enterprising people and companies with innovative ideas that have global business potential.
Innovation is also an important part of the region’s business heritage. Over the years, Northern Ireland researchers and entrepreneurs have invented world-class technology such as the portable cardiac defibrillator, the Wireless Access Protocol internet “gateway” for mobile communications, the dashboard electronic tire monitoring system, remote sensors, medical polymers and biorray diagnostics.
It is hardly surprising that this inventiveness has influenced many of the most successful international businesses to locate in Northern Ireland. They include industry leaders like Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Seagate Technology, Openwave, and 3Par Inc, which now have operations in Northern Ireland. Most recently, Indian technology-led companies, including HCL-BPO, Firstsource, Polaris Software Labs and Tech Mahindra, have sought to harness the potential of its people through substantial investments in the region that are creating thousands of quality jobs. Indeed, Northern Ireland has become one of the preferred locations in Europe for Indian technology leaders and contact center operators.
Another sector benefiting substantially from the availability of quality people and 100% broadband communications is the financial services sector. Developing fast in Northern Ireland, it has attracted major international names, including Citi, Allstate Northern Ireland, Liberty Information Technology, Danske Bank, HBOS, HML and Caterpillar Finance. Recently, Bank of Ireland Securities Services announced the establishment of a center of excellence servicing its funds administration business. This investment in the international financial services sector by Ireland’s leading financial institution will create 149 jobs for experienced accountants and skilled graduates over the next five years. Northern Ireland has developing clusters of indigenous companies with significant expertise in ICT, particularly mobile communications; digital audio technology; life sciences; advanced electronics and financial services.
In more traditional sectors, such as engineering, Northern Ireland has a global reputation for excellence. For example, the region is the global market leader in recycling, screening, quarrying and washing machinery. This is a sector involving global players, such as Terex, Sandvik and Metso Minerals, and local companies including CDE Ireland, which have an outstanding commitment to innovation.
Furthermore, FG Wilson Engineering, now part of Caterpillar, Inc, is
the world’s second-biggest volume manufacturer of diesel generators.
Caterpillar also has an R&D center of excellence in Northern
Ireland. Another global technology leader, Bombardier Aerospace,
has extensive operations in Belfast. Bombardier is also at the heart
of a cluster of companies that provide design, stress engineering and
the manufacture of substantial aerostructures for planemakers such
as Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed and Gulfstream, as well as Bombardier.
Bombardier has a particularly close working relationship with the
globally-ranked School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
at Queen’s University in Belfast on a range of advanced projects.
R&D spend is growing encouragingly in Northern Ireland, rising to
£302m last year, the majority coming from the private sector and
higher education.
In line with this, Invest Northern Ireland’s own strategy is fully focused on support for innovation, entrepreneurship and international exchanges. One of Northern Ireland’s greatest strengths is the research capability in its world-class universities and the relationships that they have with local and international companies in strategically important sectors such as information and communications technology, electronics and life sciences, including nanotechnology, bioengineering, medical polymers, cardiovascular research and oncology.
Excellent examples of this strength are Queen’s University’s Electronics Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) institute in Belfast and the University of Ulster’s School of Telecommunications Engineering in Coleraine. ECIT is now a globally recognized center of excellence in fields such as electronics, digital communications, software and IT. Its areas of expertise include high-frequency circuits, speech, image and video systems, security, and system-on-chip (SoC) architecture and design. Its partners include Intel, Xilinx, Toshiba, Panasonic, Bell Labs, TDK and SAP.
An acknowledged center of expertise in next-generation telecommunications engineering, the University of Ulster has been chosen by the UK government to lead a major collaborative initiative on Next Generation Networks and Services. One of the tasks that Invest NI is addressing is the creation of flexible and responsive mechanisms to manage and sustain the commercialization of the research in our universities, in other words, to turn leading-edge research into revenue.
These are the steps the organization has already taken to realise these goals:
- Eighteen Centers of R&D Excellence have been established, specifically in Life Sciences, including the areas of proteomics, functional genomics and speciality pharmaceuticals. Almost £300m has been invested in our Centers of Excellence program creating 18 centers overall and representing the largest funding of commercially focused R&D in Northern Ireland.
- The Proof of Concept fund supports highly innovative technologies emerging from the universities that can lead to spinout companies, technology transfer or licensing deals.
- A suite of R&D programs has been developed to aid new product development and the commercialization of research by both foreign-owned and indigenous companies.
- Building networks between academia and industry. The Higher Education Innovation Fund is a joint Invest NI/Department of Employment and Learning initiative that encourages higher education institutions to increase their ability to respond to the needs of business and promote innovation. The direct recipients of the funding are the two local universities.
The strength and depth of university research and the ease of collaboration between the universities and local businesses is a key competitive advantage. Another Northern Ireland advantage is size. It has a small business community and this makes contact between government, business and academia much easier. The region is also closely integrated within the UK and Europe, which makes it remarkably easy for companies to access key markets, including the European Union.
key strengths
-
One of the youngest populations in Europe, with nearly 60%
of its 1.71 million residents under the age of 40. The workforce
also has a strong work ethic and employee turnover and
absenteeism are among the lowest in Europe. - Northern Ireland has long been recognized to have one of the best education systems in Europe, with pupils consistently out-performing their counterparts in the rest of the UK at GCSE and A-Levels. Two world-class universities and an extensive network of further education colleges provide excellent academic and vocational training, with over 2,000 people graduating each year with business qualifications in Northern Ireland.
- Currently, the unemployment rate stands around 5.1%, below the UK national average and the EU27 average.
- Advanced telecommunications – 100% broadband coverage and resilient network that provides high-speed voice and data communications, including VoIP, worldwide.
- Competitive operating costs that are significantly lower than most of the UK and Western Europe.
- A strong skills base.
- High-quality science parks, incubator facilities and purpose-built accommodation for sectors such as contact centers, shared services and telemarketing operations.
- Easy access to the huge US and European markets.
- An attractive tax regime.
- A strong trading tradition.
- A highly competitive package of incentives, particularly for R&D-led projects.
On the international front, Invest NI’s strategic goal is to:
- Develop strong business and R&D partnerships in the US, Europe and developing nations such as India and China, through its global network of offices.
- Nurture research collaboration with industry leaders.
- Secure more high-value inward investment projects based on innovative technology for products and services, especially in industries such as ICT, financial services and life sciences.
- Facilitate innovative local companies in growth sectors.
- Encourage strong international research links between our universities and those worldwide.
As a result of this commitment to innovation, international exchanges and enterprise, Northern Ireland now provides an extensive infrastructure for ambitious and globally-focused businesses. US companies locating in Northern Ireland also benefit from a broad base of indigenous enterprises and suppliers experienced in doing business in the US and other global markets.
Customized support
Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s economic development agency, provides dedicated and integrated teams to assist companies with site selection, information gathering, site visits, recruitment, training, contacts and partnerships. Invest NI also helps companies interested in establishing a base in the region to network with other US corporations that have located in NI. On a case-by-case basis, Invest NI provides a wide range of support, both financial and otherwise to help US companies set up and expand quickly.
For more information, contact
Invest NI Boston Team:
Tel: +1 617 266 8839
Website: www.investni.com/invest
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