Scottish Development International

Scottish Development International
Agency overview
Formed 2001 (2001)
Preceding agencies
  • Locate in Scotland
  • Scottish Trade International
Jurisdiction Scotland
Parent department
Website https://www.sdi.co.uk/

Scottish Development International (SDI) is the international arm of the Scottish Government and Scotland's enterprise agencies, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The agency supports international investors in Scotland by offering significant financial incentives and other support to help set up and grow in Scotland as a gateway to wider European and global markets.

SDI support can help investors in Scotland:

  • Identify and secure the skills and talent they need
  • Train and develop staff
  • Access finance, capital investment, innovation and research and development (R&D)
  • Improve manufacturing and energy efficiency
  • Develop their leadership skills

History

Scottish Development International was established in 2001 by merging the export promotion agency, Scottish Trade International (STI; 1991-2001) and the foreign direct investment and inward investment agency, Locate in Scotland (LiS; 1981-2001).

The agency currently has over 40 offices in around 20 countries across the globe.

Performance

Scotland is a top European location for global companies and attracts more international investors than any UK region outside London.[1]

In 2015, Scotland achieved its greatest number of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a growth rate of 51%.

Over 2000 overseas companies, with a combined turnover of £100 billion are already located in Scotland, including Barclays, Blackrock, HERO BPO, JP Morgan, Mitsuibishi and Morgan Stanley.

Why Scotland?

Scotland's strengths include:

  • A highly educated and skilled workforce
  • Strong culture of research, innovation and creativity
  • Easy connections to global markets including the UK, Europe and America
  • Strong connected infrastructure
  • Lower operating costs, can be up to 40% lower than London [2]
  • Business friendly environment, including one of the lowest tax rates in the G20
  • Enviable lifestyle and work/life balance

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EY Scotland Attractiveness Survey 2016".
  2. ↑ "Financial Times, FDI Benchmark Tool 2015".


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