Innovation, education and dynamism are the key strengths. There two major universities spread across several campuses from Belfast to Londonderry and Coleraine. The Queen’s University of Belfast is much older and one of the original four universities on the island designed by the Belfast-born architect Sir Charles Lanyon in 1845. Its intention then was to encourage higher education for Catholics and Presbyterians as a counterpart to Trinity College in Dublin. Now it is a centre of excellence in both the Arts and Science as well as new technology and cutting-edge computer development.

The University of Ulster grew out of the Ulster Polytechnic, established back in the 1970s, and now has a superb reputation across the fields of business and new technology.

Both institutions have globally recognised research centres across a whole range of disciplines, and both are spinning out products, services and inventions for which there is a keen commercial market. They are aggressively capitalising on these opportunities.

Technology transfer is now the key driver when it comes to relocation: knowledge based sectors accounted for 76 per cent of all foreign direct investment last year. Call centres and contact centres are flourishing - global blue chip names such as Microsoft, Oracle and Yell have a presence, and other world class companies are present in sectors such as engineering, health technology and aerospace.