Kathryn Hill, Chief Operating Officer
How nibusinessinfo.co.uk has helped businesses unlock potential over 20 years
For 20 years, nibusinessinfo.co.uk has been a free source of advice, guidance and practical support for businesses across Northern Ireland.
The site is delivered by Invest Northern Ireland on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive and has grown into the region's leading source of practical information, support and guidance for businesses at every stage of their journey.
As we celebrate this milestone, it’s a chance to recognise the impact the service continues to have.
Over the last two decades, it has supported businesses to make informed decisions, navigate change and unlock new opportunities.
In this article, Kathryn Hill, Chief Operating Officer, looks at the impact nibusinessinfo.co.uk has had on businesses over the years.
48 million site visits
Since its launch, nibusinessinfo.co.uk has recorded 48 million visits and 84 million page views.
The site was established in June 2006 with an aim to provide important business information in one place, while keeping the content relevant to a Northern Ireland audience, or international businesses interested in setting up operations in Northern Ireland.
Today, the site hosts over 6,700 pages of business information, including over 1,000 guides featuring resources that cover everything from starting a business, to managing people and finances, through to exporting, innovation and growth.
Connecting businesses
In addition to guidance and advice, nibusinessinfo.co.uk acts as a gateway to wider support for businesses in Northern Ireland.
One of its key resources is the Northern Ireland Business Support Finder, which is a directory of publicly funded schemes from government departments and support organisations. Since launching in 2016, it has featured more than 900 schemes, helping businesses identify relevant funding, advice and assistance in one place.
Similarly, the Events Finder makes it easier to discover opportunities for learning and networking. With over 18,000 events listed since 2011, it connects businesses to workshops, webinars and training that can support growth and skills development.
Keeping businesses informed
Sometimes it can be hard for businesses to stay up to date on changes that may affect them – nibusinessinfo.co.uk plays an important role here too.
Since 2014, the site has published more than 6,600 news articles, covering funding calls, consultations, new initiatives and wider business developments. This gives businesses a single place to keep track of changes that could affect them.
Helping real businesses with real guidance
Businesses from across Northern Ireland and beyond have been using nibusinessinfo.co.uk for information, support and guidance.
“In the last sixteen years of business, nibusinessinfo.co.uk has been our go-to for knowledge on various topics,” said Gerard McVeigh from GemNet IT Services in Newry. “In actual fact, this last week we’ve been working on an AI agent where we point the AI agent at nibusinessinfo.co.uk as a source of knowledge that guardrails around that information.”
Michael Donnelly from MJ Donnelly Quantity Surveyors explained how he has used the website to help his clients.
“nibusinessinfo.co.uk has been invaluable throughout, in particular the business support finder section where there’s lots of really useful information there for us and for those we collaborate with,” he explained. “Access to that type of information allows us to provide strategic advice to clients that we support.”
But the website hasn’t just been helping businesses. It’s also been a useful tool for Invest NI partners, such as Enterprise Agencies, to help them support businesses with guidance and advice.
“As a local enterprise agency, Enterprise North West supports hundreds of local businesses each year,” said Brian O’Neill, Director of Development at Enterprise North West. “nibusinessinfo.co.uk plays an important part within that role. It allows us access practical guides, support and tools to be able to use with our clients. It offers real-time and practical for business, specifically those in Northern Ireland.”
Looking ahead
As the business landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the need for accessible, reliable advice remains as important as ever.
Over the past 20 years, nibusinessinfo.co.uk has built a strong foundation as a trusted partner for Northern Ireland’s business community. Its continued focus on practical and accessible guidance ensures it remains well placed to support businesses through the opportunities and challenges ahead. What’s more, the website is evolving too – the site is currently in the process of being redeveloped to enhance navigation, optimise search for AI discovery, and improve its accessible design, so it can deliver guidance and support for businesses well into the future.
About the author - Kathryn Hill, Chief Operating Officer
Kathryn is Chief Operating Officer at Invest NI. Prior to her current role, she was a Director in the Department for Communities (DfC) and a Chartered Accountant, having previously worked at PWC. She joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 2008 and has worked in a variety of roles, including financial and management accounting, budgeting, governance, and risk management.
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