Our aims

To attract direct foreign investment, focussing on research, design and development projects with high knowledge content
To enhance the global expansion capabilities of companies through international strategy development
To create partnership investments between Scottish and foreign companies and organisations to open new channels to markets, investments, technologies and products
To increase trade growth by encouraging the expansion of Scotland's portfolio of first-class exported goods and services to new markets
To help strike licensing deals between Scottish and overseas companies and universities

Our impact

We worked with 2,096 companies to develop their international business, representing a 52 percent increase from the previous year
229 companies were supported on international projects expected to lead to an increase in export sales of £818 million projected sales over the next three years – up from £733 million achieved in 2011/12
156 companies from the Highlands and Islands region were supported overseas last year – an increase of 50 percent from the previous year
More than half of all 2,096 companies supported by us were from the technology and engineering (313), food and drink (280), oil and gas (242), tourism (147) and textiles (136) sectors
The majority of demand for our support is still focused on markets closer to home with 752 companies targeting EU markets
60 percent increase in the number of companies receiving support to target markets in Asia
More than 241 companies targeted new business in China (an increase of 40 percent) while other markets such as India, Singapore and Thailand also showed significant increases
Scottish companies were also supported by the GlobalScot network where we fulfilled 2,000 enquiries for support, including almost 200 one-to-one meetings between companies and GlobalScots

In May 2010, published findings of an SDI independent evaluation report show that:

SDI has created around 19,000 jobs to date, demonstrating its importance in supporting employment
SDI assistance has led to an additional £58 million average exports per year
An estimated £72 million GVA is likely to be added to the Scottish economy through international trade alone over the next three years, due to SDI activity in this area
Almost 50 percent of all businesses interviewed reported that support from SDI helped them meet customers/partners that they would otherwise not have met
89 percent of businesses that SDI has helped develop international trade considered their engagement with SDI to have been worthwhile
41 percent have achieved sales in new overseas markets and 80 percent expect to achieve overseas sales as a result of the supported international trade activities
Higher wages, higher employment and higher labour productivity exist in SDI-assisted inward investor companies
73 percent of inward investors working with SDI consider us to have been very or fairly important in ensuring the continuing presence of the business in Scotland
SDI-assisted companies have been 19 percent more productive than ‘matched’ cases with no assistance
Most SDI-assisted inward investment companies are employing more people than planned, doing more R&D and have broadened their product range