Corporate Magazine - 2013, June (PDF) - Invest Northern Ireland

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18 June 2013 InvestinWorking in the RegionsAddressinglocal needsAchieving private sector growth and boosting oureconomy depends on many organisations andstakeholders working together towards a common aim.For this reason we work closely with a wide network ofstakeholders, including councils, sectoral and businessbodies, community and social enterprises.Invest NI has been working with localcouncils since September 2011 to promotethe implementation of a measure aimedat stimulating economic growth amongNorthern Ireland’s wider business base.The Local Economic Development (LED)measure is available to councils to help themaddress the particular needs of businessesin their area and boost local economicdevelopment. The measure is fundedby councils, Invest NI and the EuropeanRegional Development Fund under theSustainable Competitiveness Programme forNorthern Ireland.Fifty projects and programmes acrossNorthern Ireland have been approved andwill help businesses in those council areasto strengthen core skills ranging fromexport marketing to finance to sustainabledevelopment.These include Belfast City Council’sSocial Economy Programme, Derry CityCouncil’s ‘Get Started for 2013’, a specificEmployment Growth programme run byLisburn City Council, and CastlereaghBorough Council’s Evolution project, offeringone-to-one mentoring support and generalbusiness advice. More projects are expectedover the next 12 months.Patricia Devine, LED Manager, InvestNI, says: “This LED measure aimsto help councils provide economicdevelopment resources which meet theneeds of businesses in the communityand complement the support currentlyoffered by Invest NI. The main focus of themeasure is to support innovation, researchand development and entrepreneurship.Regardless of which council they are locatedin, the programmes have the potential tohelp hundreds of local businesses to winsales, boost turnover and create jobs.”>> Enterprise Minister, ArleneFoster helps Councillor TonyQuinn, Cookstown DistrictCouncil Chairman, unlock £1m ofinvestment in the Council’s newsuite of business developmentprogrammes. With assistanceavailable to 225 local businesses,this is the largest package ofbusiness support ever deliveredby Cookstown District Council.Pictured are representatives of theprogramme funders from Invest NIand Cookstown District Council.Some councils have pooled resources andexpertise, working as a cluster to delivermaximum benefit to their local businessbase. An example of this is the SEEDcluster comprising Ards, North Down,Banbridge, Down, Craigavon, Newry andMourne and Armagh councils.These councils have delivered a number ofbusiness support programmes includinga conference providing information onaccessing finance, the Energy ConnectionsNI programme which provides practicaladvice to help business become suppliersto the renewable companies, and a FirstTime Exporters Programme.In the far north, councils have cometogether to deliver initiatives including aninnovative new programme to help localfood retailers expand into manufacturing,while in the north east, seven councilsgot together to deliver a ProcurementDevelopment Programme.The western region has presented anumber of projects including the Surviveand Thrive Business Mentoring Programme,and Inspire, which is providing one-to-onementoring and the chance for businessesto attend marketing skills developmentworkshops and conferences.“Such partnership working is vital to thefuture growth of our economy and theprivate sector,” says Patricia Devine.So far the programmes run by councilsunder the LED measure have proved verypopular with businesses, which especiallyappreciate that the content is tailored tolocal needs.“LED initiatives aim to help businessesto become more market aware, researchaware, outward looking, export orientedand committed to ongoing businessdevelopment. These are the essentialcomponents of business and economicsuccess,” adds Patricia Devine.
Investin June 2013 19EventsxShowcasingthe RegionInvest NI supports a number of majorevents every year which help to raise theprofile of Northern Ireland as a place toinvest and which highlight the indigenousbusiness talent that exists here.EuropeanBusinessNetworkAnnualCongress2013In May Invest NI was the chief sponsorof one of Europe’s largest and mostprestigious business events, theEuropean Business Network AnnualCongress 2013. Held in Londonderry,Congress 2013 brought togetherover 350 international participantsand a similar number of NorthernIreland businesses to hear from worldrenowned experts on the topics ofdigital, social and cultural innovation.Keynote speaker was Steve Wozniak,co-founder of Apple.The three-day event was organisedby NORIBIC (The Northern IrelandBusiness and Innovation Centre) andincluded workshops and interactionopportunities between speakersand participants.Based in Brussels EBN aims topromote the growth of Business andInnovation Centres which in turnsupport the emergence of new small ormedium sized businesses and existingbusinesses with new ideas and withgrowth potential.It was the first time this majorprogramme of events had taken placein Northern Ireland.GlobalIndiaOn 23 and 24 June Belfast City Council,supported by Invest NI, will host themajor Global India conference. Thisannual conference will bring togethersome 300 highly influential Indianbusiness leaders, their Europeancounterparts, and UK and NorthernIreland Ministers, to discuss globaleconomic and business issues and todebate collaborative approaches toaddressing sustainable growth.As the world’s second fastest growingeconomy, India presents significanttrade development and investmentopportunities. Indian companiesincluding Firstsource, L&T, HCLTechnology, Techmahindra, and PolarisSoftware have all brought considerableinvestment, jobs and skills to NorthernIreland, while local companies continueto find export success there.The conference will have a widereachingprogramme, featuring bothinternational and local speakers. MinisterAnand Sharma, India’s Minister forCommerce, will attend and speakersinclude CEO Infosys, CEO MahindraSatyam, CEO FedEx Express andChairman Tata Communications.Technologyat WorkInvest NI’s Technology at Workconference in February was attendedby 380 delegates. The event provideda platform for people to meet, listen,discuss and showcase how innovationhas worked for them.Over 30 companies exhibited theirproducts and services and 13technology-led companies deliveredelevator pitches at the event. Thedelegates also heard from keynotespeakers Ian Philips, Principal StaffEngineer at ARM Ltd of Cambridge,and Scott Berkun, bestselling authorof Making Things Happen who spokeabout global technology trends, creativethinking and managing ideas.The event aimed to raise awarenessof how technology in its broadestsense can offer solutions and newopportunities across all industry sectors,from IT through to healthcare.It also showcased Northern Irelandcompanies that are pioneering newinnovations across a range of sectorsand exporting them around the world.>> Pictured (L-R) with Invest NI Chairman Mark Ennis (centre) are ScotBerkun, bestselling author of Making Things Happen and Ian Philips,Principal Staff Engineer at ARM Ltd of Cambridge
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Corporate Magazine - 2013, June (PDF) - Invest Northern Ireland

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