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Scottish Development International

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Scottish Development International
Agency overview
Formed2001; 23 years ago (2001)
Preceding agencies
  • Locate in Scotland
  • Scottish Trade International
JurisdictionScotland
Parent department
Websitehttps://www.sdi.co.uk/

Scottish Development International (SDI) is the international arm of the Scottish Government and Scotland's enterprise agencies, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.[1][2] The agency supports international investors in Scotland to help set up and grow in Scotland as a gateway to wider European and global markets.

History

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Scottish Development International was established in 2001 by merging the export promotion agency, Scottish Trade International (STI; 1991–2001) and the foreign direct investment and inward investment agency, Locate in Scotland (LiS; 1981–2001).

The agency currently has over 40 offices in around 20 countries across the globe.

The agency claimed its actions led to the creation of 7,839 jobs in Scotland in 2016/17.[1]

In North America

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SDI's North American offices in the United States are in San Jose (California), Chicago (Illiois), Cambridge (Massachusetts), and Houston (Texas). Canadian offices are in Toronto (Ontario) and Calgary (Alberta).[3] In the US, SDI promotes Scottish businesses and products at Tartan Day/Week events, and at American trade events such as the golf-oriented PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, and the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market.[3] According to SDI, the US is Scotland's top destination for exports, which as of 2019 amounted to £6 billion, 17% of Scotland's total international trade.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b McCulloch, Scott (27 June 2017). "Scottish Enterprise defends Scottish Development International's claim it 'brought in nearly 8,000 jobs'". Insider. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  2. ^ Symon, Ken (18 September 2019). "Scottish Enterprise to create a one-stop shop for business support". Insider. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Tartan Week highlights economic links between Scotland and the United States: Trade opportunities for Scottish firms 'Across the Pond'". Scottish-Enterprise-MediaCentre.com. Scottish Enterprise. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
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