JOBS quango Invest NI is increasing its footprint in America by laying down roots in Los Angeles, the sprawling southern California city which is home to the US film and television industry.
The agency is adding LA to its growing international network, which in the US - one of Northern Ireland’s strongest markets for exports - already includes cites like New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Over the past two years, exports from Northern Ireland to the US have grown by 16 per cent to £1.5 billion, and companies such as Belfast-based clinical research firm Fusion Antibodies is experiencing significant exporting success in the region (last year it landed two new contracts in the US worth a combined £350,000).
Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton said: “The US is a major export market for ambitious Northern Ireland companies.
“The new contracts for Fusion Antibodies will see it provide its drug discovery and development service to major players in the US pharma market, including one of the US’s top five pharma companies and a major world renowned medical research institute.”
Fusion’s DNA sequencing technology can assist in the development of novel biological molecules that may be used as innovative drugs for human diseases including cancer, coeliac disease, chronic fungal infections and immunological indications.
Mr Hamilton added: “Encouraging and facilitating many more local companies to follow in the footsteps of Fusion is key to the growth of our economy, and to build on successes like this we are strengthening our US resources.
"I'm delighted to open our new office in Los Angeles. We already have a strong west coast team based in San Francisco and have had great success in supporting companies win export deals with initiatives like our US Tech Mission.
"With a dedicated resource here in southern California we will build on this success, particularly in the areas of digital technology and creative industries."
Mr Hamilton is currently on a three-city US programme which includes joining 15 Northern Ireland companies at South by Southwest (SxSW), the world’s leading conference for the music, film and interactive technology, being held in Austin, Texas.
