Do business in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is an integral part of the UK, home to a host of international businesses and an ideal location for your foreign direct investment project. With experienced exporters keen to grow and develop new trade partnerships across the Americas, your business can discover the benefits of trading with Northern Ireland.
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A wealth of talent
Northern Ireland boasts highly skilled, loyal and motivated people who always go the extra mile.
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Global business partner
We have an established track record as a global business partner, exporting to over 100 countries.
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Business friendly
We are one of Europe's most business-friendly regions for our size.
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Cost competitive
Our operating costs are, on average, 20-30% lower than the rest of the UK and Europe.
Sector Expertise
Technology
Area of sector expertise
- Cyber security
- Financial software
- Mobile telecoms
- Health IT
- Network management
- Data analytics
- Payments technology
- Northern Ireland is the world’s #1 destination for US cyber development projects.
- 100+ international technology investors.
- 70% of our IT & telecoms professionals hold a higher education qualification – the highest in the UK.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“The most passionate, devoted, educated and skilled people I have ever worked with.”
Paul Vienneau
Chief Technology Officer
TSYS
Financial services
Area of sector expertise
- Financial services technology
- Capital markets technology
- Fund administration
- Risk, regulation and compliance
- Asset management
- Actuarial & analytics
- Marketing & research
- Consultancy
- Belfast is the world’s #1 city for FinTech development projects.
- $500 billion flows through Belfast each day, representing 10% of the global FX market.
- Belfast is ranked 3rd in fDi's Global Fintech Locations of the Future 2019/2020.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“As a result of being here over the last 15 years we have saved the company more than a billion dollars”
Suren Gupta
Executive Vice President
Allstate Technology & Strategic Ventures
Professional & legal services
Area of sector expertise
- Captive legal services
- Shared services
- Legal process outsourcing
- In-house counsel
- Software solutions
- Management consultancy
- Two of the top 15 law schools in the UK are in Northern Ireland.
- Legal Services is one of the fastest growing sectors in Northern Ireland’s economy.
- Operating costs for a legal services center in Northern Ireland are up to 50% lower than London and 40% lower than New York.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“Since our original investment, we have been continually impressed with the contribution our Belfast office has made in supporting the delivery of high-quality legal services to Allen & Overy’s international client base.”
Andrew Brammer
IT & Shared Services Director
Allen & Overy
Life & health sciences
Area of sector expertise
- Big data
- Precision medicine
- Diagnostics
- Clinical trials
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Inflammation
- Respiratory
- Diabetes
- 1,000+ researchers in centers of Excellence.
- 10% of the world's cholesterol tests are made in Northern Ireland.
- 13,000 people studying subjects related to life and health sciences.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“The quality and availability of specialist skills here and the strong links we have forged with Queen’s University were key factors when we chose Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland offers a wealth of talented and knowledgeable people.”
Dr Robert Ladner
CEO
CV6
Global business services
Area of sector expertise
- Shared services
- Knowledge services
- Customer contact
- Recruitment services
- Staff augmentation
- Operating costs are 33% lower than London and 11% lower than Dublin and 51% lower than NYC.
- 13,000 people employed in 40 shared services, contact or knowledge centers.
- Each year we produce 5,000 graduates with degrees in finance, accounting, business, economics, maths, law and computing.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“The support provided by Invest NI, the quality of people and the cost-competitive business environment makes Northern Ireland a very attractive location for us.”
Philip Cassidy
Senior Vice President
Concentrix Corporation
Materials handling
Area of sector expertise
- Mobile screening & crushing
- Road surfacing
- Recycling
- Waste handling equipment
- 40% of the world’s mobile stone crushing and gravel screening equipment is made in Northern Ireland.
- Machinery manufactured in Northern Ireland is sold to customers in over 100 countries.
- 4000 people employed in over 100 companies.
Aerospace & defence
Area of sector expertise
- Precision machining
- Composites design
- Composites manufacturing
- Advanced metal forming
- Seating and interiors
- Design and stress
- Tooling design
- Tool manufacturing
- Europe's 8th largest aerospace industry in terms of revenue.
- Over 30% of the world's airline seats are made in Northern Ireland.
- Companies are internationally accredited AS9100, ISO9001 and NADCAP.
Food & drink
Area of sector expertise
- Red meat
- Poultry
- Dairy
- Bakery
- Artisan & speciality
- Northern Ireland has a global reputation for food safety.
- Food and drink products from Northern Ireland are available in more than 70 countries.
- Home to Bushmills, the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.
Creative & digital
Area of sector expertise
- Film & TV production
- Post-production
- Mobile content
- Gaming & animation
- Music
- HBO series Game of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland.
- Belfast's Titanic Studios is one of the largest film and TV production studios in Europe.
- Oscar-winning live action short film The Shore was filmed in Northern Ireland.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“I can't imagine any other city or any other area where we could have done this show. Anything we throw at Northern Ireland, they deliver. It's really been a wonderful experience. I think that everything this region has to offer has greatly benefited the look and the feel to the show.”
Frank Doelger
Executive Producer
Game of Thrones
Advanced engineering & manufacturing
Area of sector expertise
- Aerospace & defence
- Automotive
- Materials handling
- Life & health sciences
- Products exported to over 100 countries.
- 44,000 employees in 2000 companies.
- Operating costs up to 34% lower than USA, 30% lower than France and 36% lower than Germany.
Businesses here include:
What others are saying
“Over the years, we have received excellent support from Invest NI and we consider them to be an important partner in our ongoing development and growth in Northern Ireland.”
Hiroshi Urakami
Chairman
Ryobi
Energy & renewables
Area of sector expertise
- Biofuels
- Design
- Manufacturing
- Installation
- Operation & maintenance
- Home to the UK’s first bespoke offshore wind installation and assembly terminal.
- Established collaborative networks within wind, marine, energy storage and skills development.
- 15 competence and research centers.
Construction
Area of sector expertise
- General contracting
- Civil engineering
- Building envelope
- Interior fit-out
- Facilities management
- Professional services
- 12,000 companies
- Northern Ireland firms have worked on major projects such as:
- London 2012
- Crossrail
- Titanic Signature Project
- Northern Ireland firms have also worked on:
- National schools and hospitals projects
- Fit-out on iconic buildings such as 1 Hyde Park
- Fit-out on a range of retail projects across Europe
Businesses here include:
International education
Options for study
- Queens University
- Ulster University
- University-affiliated teacher training colleges
- English language teaching
- Boarding schools
- Vocational education and training
- Northern Ireland hosts 45,000 students from over 100 countries.
- Northern Ireland is recognized as having one of the best education systems in Europe. We’re also renowned for our high quality of life, low cost of living, clean environment, lively social scene and the friendliness of our people.
- Queen’s University is in the top 1% of universities in the world.
- Ulster University ranks in the Times Higher Education Supplement’s 150 under 50 – a global comparison of young universities.
How we can help
Invest Northern Ireland is the region's economic development agency, responsible for promoting trade and investment opportunities. Our services help potential and existing investors flourish and connect trading partners with our suppliers.
For FDI
- Tax incentives
- Employment & Training grants
- Research & development grants
- Finance investment & loans
- Market development assistance
- Property search, talent sourcing & business development support
- A dedicated Invest Northern Ireland project team
For trade
- Connections with our world-class suppliers
- Trade show & exhibitions
- "Meet the Buyer" events
Contact Us
You can contact our offices in the Americas directly or connect with any member of our team via LinkedIn.
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Miami Office
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Looking for other Invest NI contacts globally?
Please visit our Locations Directory
