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Northern Ireland SMEs possess a wealth of home-grown talent and potential across a vast range of sectors. Our ambition is to support these local businesses to thrive and take their business to the next level, while also delivering real benefit to the economy.

Following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) and ending of the transition period on 31 December 2020, Northern Ireland continues to have access to the Great Britain (GB) and the EU markets for goods.

Open for applications from 6pm Tuesday 2 February 2021, the COVID-19 Micro-business E-commerce Grant is specifically designed to help micro-business retailers develop their sales online.

Helen Matheson, Invest NI's Regional Director for Qatar & Kuwait shares insights and opportunities in the Qatar region.

Northern Irish Connections is passionate about celebrating what makes Northern Ireland such a great place to live, work, study, visit, invest and do business.

In the rapidly changing business environment caused by COVID-19, companies all across Northern Ireland are asking themselves what they need to do to gain an advantage in the marketplace in order to compete and win new business. With this in mind, now more than ever companies are seeking to innovate.

With the year delay, Expo 2020 Dubai hopes to bring the world together for the first time since the pandemic to celebrate our collaborations, innovations and resilience in a world that is fighting and defeating COVID19.

Northern Ireland is well known to be the world-leading region in the manufacture of mobile bulk processing and wet processing equipment. In fact, over 40% of the tracked mobile crushing and screening products in the world are made in Northern Ireland.

This feature will provide an insight into Saudi Arabia’s growing mining and recycling industry, and the opportunities it presents for Northern Ireland businesses from the Materials Handlings sector.

SWITCH 2020, organised by Enterprise Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore will be the world’s first round-the-clock, hybrid digital and physical event from 7-11 December. Invest Northern Ireland is offering companies the opportunity to register their interest in participating in the virtual event. Places are limited and we will allocate passes on a first-come basis.

Trade agreements set out preferential rules that cover trade between two or more countries. They aim to make trading easier between those countries by reducing barriers on imports and exports of goods and services.

Northern Ireland’s tech start-up sector has seen significant growth in recent years, particularly in the fields of Fintech, cyber security, health tech and more. We recognise the importance of maximising and supporting this growth so that start-ups can rapidly scale in global markets. In light of COVID-19, this is particularly important.

Leaving the EU Single Market means that there will be changes in how cross border trade in services will be conducted. The issues for services trade have not had as much focus as goods trade. In this feature, we highlight some of the common issues which services businesses need to consider and act upon in the weeks ahead.

The £2m COVID-19 Business & Financial Planning Grant will support micro and SME businesses to engage an experienced consultant to carry out a review and health check of the business and develop a strategic recovery plan with financial forecasts.

Recognised as the second largest economy worldwide, China is one of the first countries to begin its economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting significant export opportunities for both small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and large businesses from Northern Ireland.

The UK's immigration system is changing – from 1 January 2021 an entirely new immigration regime will come into effect.

In the 2020 edition of the Belfast Telegraphs "Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies" Kevin Holland comments on how 2020 has been a year of change for NI businesses.

Despite the impact of COVID-19 on global markets, we have started planning and laying the foundations for our recovery, with exporting set to play an important role.

The trading environment for many NI businesses will change from 1 January 2021 as a result of the end of the EU Exit transition period. Whilst many points of detail have still to be confirmed, a clearer picture is starting to emerge.

Having met at a matchmaking event, organized as part of the Food Business Summit and Interreg-funded NICHE project, two breweries (one from Finland and one from Northern Ireland) have been working together to produce original and innovative beer recipes.