Innovation UK > News > Innovation UK Vol5-1 > Focus: Northern Ireland

In a global knowledge-based economy, Northern Ireland does not compete on the basis of labour 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.

Northern Ireland provides high-quality science parks, incubator facilities and a range of purpose-built accommodation for sectors such as contact centres, shared services and telemarketing operations. Northern Ireland provides high-quality science parks, incubator facilities and a range of purpose-built accommodation for sectors such as contact centres, shared services and telemarketing operations.

Recognising that customer-focused innovation is a key driver of productivity and overall competitiveness, Invest Northern Ireland positioned it at the heart of its business development strategy. 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 tyre 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 has operations here.

Most recently, Indian technology-led companies, including HCLBPO, Firstsource, Polaris Software Labs and Tech Mahindra, have sought to harness the potential of its people through substantial investments in the region. 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 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 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 recognised centre 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.

As an acknowledged centre of expertise in next-generation telecommunications engineering, meanwhile, 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 commercialisation of the research in our universities, turning leading-edge research into revenue. These are the steps the organisation has already taken to realise these goals:

• Eighteen Centres 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 Centres of Excellence programme, 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 spin-out companies, technology transfer or licensing deals.
• A suite of R&D programmes has been developed to aid new product development and the commercialisation of research by both foreign-owned and indigenous companies.
• 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.

For more information, visit:
Website: www.investni.com