Want to know more about our support?
Our regional business network
Our regional business network works directly and indirectly with businesses across Northern Ireland.
We offer:
- information and advice;
- business support setup and growth;
- tailored support for businesses
With dedicated teams present in five locations, Ballymena, Belfast, Derry~Londonderry, Newry and Omagh – our regional offices are available to help you on your business journey.
Our five Regional Offices are supplemented by one additional “point of presence" in Craigavon.
How we support business
What we offer includes but is not limited to support for the creation of good jobs, research and development and innovation, up-skilling of employees and trade support.
Over the past five years (2021-2022 to 2025-2026), we have offered £465m of support to 3,936 businesses. This support, alongside the companies' investment commitments, has the potential to generate a £2.77bn investment in the local economy, and create 17,932 jobs.
Download the Invest Northern Ireland Statistical Briefing (PDF) for more information about our support.
Regardless of the size of your business or the sector, we can provide you with a free advisory service. Find out more about how we support businesses and the criteria to become an Invest NI client.
Regional support
Business Breakfasts
Practical advice that can help you navigate challenges, explore opportunities and grow your business.
Entrepreneurship
We support entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale their businesses by building capability, encouraging innovation and helping them expand into external and export markets.
Our Inclusive Entrepreneurship Team provides this support through a range of grants, programmes and initiatives targeted at start-ups, innovation-driven enterprises and businesses with export potential.
Support for start-ups
Support for start-ups developing innovative products or tradeable services, including tailored support for women-led businesses.
Support for innovation-driven enterprises
Support for ambitious early-stage businesses using innovation or technology to compete and grow globally.
Find out moreSupport for start-ups with export potential
Support for start-ups with export potential that have clear plans to scale through job creation and increased sales outside Northern Ireland.
Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs)
The Sub-Regional Economic Plan, launched on 1st October 2024, set out a new collaborative approach to regional economic development. It included the establishment of Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs) in each council area across the region to identify specific local needs and interventions needed to aid their economic development.
Local Economic Partnerships are intended to play a key role in delivering regional balance, by bringing together central and local government, Arm’s Length Bodies, and local stakeholders to create improved economic prosperity at a local level.
The Local Economic Partnership is owned by the Local Government District (LGD) with support from DfE and Invest NI.
A £45 million fund over three years supports LEPs, allocated based on productivity, and peripherality criteria. LEPs have flexible structures, either standalone or integrated with existing Council partnerships. The full details of the allocation to each of the 11 Council areas is available here.
All LEPs at each of the 11 Council areas are now established and have developed or are currently developing local economic action plans.
Our stakeholder partners
To develop local stakeholder relationships and initiatives to meet the needs of local businesses we work with key industry partners including:
- Accelerators
- Councils
- Enterprise agencies
- Further education colleges
- Universities
- Enterprise Ireland
- Ethnic Minority Employment & Entrepreneurship Network
- InterTradeIreland
- Women in Business NI
This partnership working is key to deliver for all of Northern Ireland.
Contact us
Find out more about our regional support.
You may be interested in
- Develop products and services
Ambition to Grow
Take part in a competition to receive up to £45,000 in funding.
- Export Support
Export to Grow
Complete our Export Health Check to assess your export readiness.
- Develop products and services
Innovation Vouchers
Innovation Vouchers offers up to £10K to be used to develop innovative solutions to business issues.