Foreign investment in the UK defies downturn, rising by 11 per cent
Foreign investment in the UK has hit a record high as more companies than ever before used it as a springboard for global growth, defying the world economic downturn. Australia was again among the top 10 investment sources.
Despite some of the most difficult economic conditions for generations, the UK maintains its position as the number one destination for foreign investors in Europe, and second in the world.
Investments this year created over 35,000 new jobs in the UK (over 78,000 jobs created or safeguarded). In the past six years over 215,000 new jobs have been created due to inward investment projects (almost 500,000 jobs created or safeguarded). Companies from around the world invested in 1,744 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects during the 2008-9 financial year to March - an 11 per cent increase and the fifth successive year of growth.
G'day UK 2009
This week, Australia takes centre-stage in Britain as G'day UK gets underway.
Launched on Wednesday, G'day UK consists of a series of events taking place around the UK showcasing the unique range of skills, resources and opportunities Australia has to offer. British companies and consumers alike will take another look at Australia as a great place to work, holiday and do business.
Highlights include the CEO Forum, at which Stephen Smith, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lord Mandelson, UK Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform and Heather Ridout, CEO of Australia Industry Group will be keynote speakers.
UK inventor's new water barrier causes a flood of interest
Simon Phelps' innovative new product, 'Floodstop' was inundated with media interest and awards in his native UK, and his invention is now gathering momentum and admirers in Australia.
With climate change scientists predicting floods increasing in regularity and severity in the years to come, inventions like Floodstop will be of even greater importance. The recent floods in the Hunter Valley and Central Coast of NSW, which caused an estimated damage bill of $1.2 to $1.5 billion, clearly demonstrate Australia's need for a more effective flood management programme.
Putting the BIT in British
Australia's economic strength during the global financial crisis and the importance that the ICT sector will play in re-energising the UK economy were both underlined by the recent success of CeBIT, the Asia-Pacific's pre-eminent technology conference.
Despite the global economic downturn, CeBIT attracted 30,000 business visitors over the three days it ran in Sydney's Darling Harbour and 90 per cent of attendees said they were happy with what they achieved this year and would be coming back again next year.
TechnologyWorld09 - Your Springboard to International ICT Success
As one of the largest technology 'speed meeting' events in the UK, TechnologyWorld - run by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) - helps over 500 buyers and sellers do business every year.
London Now!
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, urged foreign businesses to relocate to London and outlined measures to ensure the capital remains the top place to do business despite the current global downturn.
As the latest cost of living survey revealed London is cheaper to live in than New York for the first time since 2002, the Mayor has unveiled Think London's economic action plan to encourage more overseas companies to locate in the capital. The plan, 'London Now', was outlined by the Mayor at the prestigious property conference MIPIM.
As part of the plan, Think London is extending its 'Touchdown London' offer to provide overseas companies with up to 12 months of free office space and facilities and the use of a dedicated advisor to support firms through the process of establishing a London operation.
Expert sales support for Australian IT companies
An innovative new consultancy is breathing fresh air into Australian IT companies' sales techniques.
Two Hemispheres, a global company with offices in Adelaide and the South East of England, announced its first major contracts with Optimatics and SpinifexIT this week.
Two Hemispheres specialises in developing improved sales practices for IT companies.
Director of Two Hemispheres, Martin Woodcock, said, "In times of economic difficulty, companies need to work more efficiently. We can arm your business with the tools to sell better, both here and internationally, making more economical use of resources.
Rod Eddington expresses strong confidence in the UK economy
Sir Rod Eddington, the current Chairman of Infrastructure Australia has made an ardent case for the future prosperity of the British economy during his speech at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Australasia's annual conference.
At the conference in Melbourne, Sir Rod, a former chief executive of British Airways said: "Anyone who misunderstands the strengths of the UK is in for a surprise." He pointed specifically to the UK's strengths in financial services, innovation, precision engineering, education and simply being an 'entrepreneurial place' and said the British economy was much better placed to recover than it was in the 1970s when he first arrived in the UK as a Rhodes Scholar. "London is the world's pre-eminent global financial services city and that's not going to change. It will still be there when we come through this," he said.
Other news
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Recycling trend creates big investment and jobs - Government policies and public trends towards more waste recycling are attracting major investment and creating jobs in the United Kingdom. An Australian company, Sims Recycling Solutions, has opened a recycling plant costing £12 million in Newport, Wales, creating 200 jobs. And in central England the development of a recycling facility that will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe will produce more than 70 new jobs - Click here for more
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Low carbon is big business: greenBusiness09- Two major events positioning the UK as a leader in low-carbon technology have recently been staged in Australia. Over 200 local SMEs attended the seminars in Sydney and Melbourne, entitled greenBusiness09: Winning business success in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The events promoted the UK's strengths in low-carbon solutions as part of UK Trade & Investment's Low Carbon Marketing Strategy - Click here for more about these recent events, or to register for future similar events
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The skirl of bagpipes will sound long and loud across Scotland throughout 2009, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of poet Robert Burns. Burns is Scotland's national poet and cultural icon, known the world over for his song of friendship, Auld Lang Syne.
