Columnist Brendan Drain, Sync NI
Techie Talk Time
With the shock of Brexit slowing and and the business world now cautiously planning for the end of the pandemic, now could be the ideal time for US tech firms to invest in Northern Ireland.
Top-tier universities: Northern Ireland’s universities play an important role in the local tech industry, providing research facilities and qualified graduates in everything from business development to cybersecurity. Queen’s University Belfast is globally recognised for its research in MedTech and Telecoms technology and was recently named the number one UK university for generating successful spinout companies. Dual market access: It seems as if there’s another US-based tech company opening an office in Northern Ireland every few months recently, and part of that is down to groups like Invest NI who attract investment into the region. Invest NI recently reported that it’s actually been seeing a lot of interest from several global tech firms in Northern Ireland’s unique post-Brexit situation. While Brexit has negatively impacted thousands of businesses across the UK, the Northern Ireland protocol puts the region in an interesting position. A company set up in Northern Ireland would have access to freely export to both Great Britain and the EU single market. Tech companies here would have quick access to suppliers and contractors on the entire island of Ireland while being part of the UK’s tax regime and being able to access the UK’s R&D tax relief.
Ulster University has been investing heavily into emerging technologies in the creative and screen industries, having recently put a million pounds in the creation of a virtual production lab. The university has also now partnered with global games industry giant Epic Games to become the only Unreal Academic Partner on the entire island of Ireland. All of our local universities and colleges have been developing more links with industry in recent years. Belfast Met provides training for a lot of our local apprenticeship schemes, and some of the larger tech firms have even worked with local universities to create entirely new degree-apprenticeship pathways. With heavy R&D investment on the way with the Belfast City Deal, the universities will be an essential link to the needs of the tech industry.
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