Gary McDonald Business Editor
21 March, 2023 13:15
INVEST NI says its Ambition to Grow programme, launched last October, has supported 37 companies in the north, helping them to grow exports by £12 million and create 154 jobs.
The £1.3 million support programme focusses on assisting innovative SMEs which are in the earliest stages of their development and have had no support from Invest NI in the past five years.
Support was awarded to applicants on a competitive basis. Applications were assessed and scored, with the highest scoring companies awarded funding, following a successful validation interview.
And the recipient companies were based right across the north, ranging geographically from Dungiven in Co Derry to Drumaness in Co Down.
Invest NI’s executive director of regional business Alan McKeown said: “We designed Ambition to Grow as a new way to attract more companies to seek our support and increase our regional impact in Northern Ireland.
“Following a competitive process we have offered 37 export driven SMEs valuable financial support to create jobs, develop new products and enhance the skills of their teams.
“The support being provided is not solely financial, and the new companies we are working with will now have access to the advice and expertise of teams from across Invest NI including our overseas office network in 29 global locations who will support them to successfully scale their exports and compete globally.”
He added: “What’s great about this programme is the impact these investments will have within local communities. Once in place, the 154 jobs will contribute almost £5million in additional annual salaries to the Northern Ireland economy.
“In addition, the new relationships being forged with businesses that we were previously not engaged with is likely to open conversations around investment in areas such as research & development and the green economy, which provides the opportunity to support these companies to deliver new innovation and business improvements that may not otherwise have happened.”
The companies supported via the Ambition programme were:
AM Civil Engineering Services, Belfast
AM Electrical Services (NI), Dungannon
Architectural Timber Frames, Dungannon
Bradmount, Moneymore
Bró38, Drumaness
Cabinspace, Magherafelt
Cloud Application Services, Omagh
Connect Research, Keady
Dundrum Bay Crab Products, Dundrum
Evander Hopper Design, Cookstown
Fuse Pipeline , Dungannon
Hundred Studio, Belfast
Indie Velo Cheese, Belfast
J. Lennon & Co, Cookstown
Killbran Toy Trailers, Dungannon
Lloyd & Cowan, Moy
MTX Cloud Services, Dungannon
NMK Steel, Magherafelt
Nomadic Watches, Carrickfergus
Novogen Engineering Solutions, Newtownabbey
PCD Contracts, Ballymena
Premier Traffic Systems, Ballynahinch
QSEE, Belfast
Qualcom Managed Services, Mallusk
Rapid Agency (NI), Belfast
Roof Window Specialists, Draperstown
Ross Companies, Ballyclare
Scanmatix, Ballymena
Spadetown Brewery, Lurgan
StileGlass, Newcastle
Studio Idir, Belfast
Team UIQ, Belfast
The Change Innovation Services, Belfast
The Dressmaker’s Apprentice, Bangor
Uptime Labs, Newry
Weev.ie, Belfast
Weldex Engineering, Dungannon