Edinburgh, 21 Oct. 2013 (WAM) - As business links between Scotland and the Middle East continue to grow across a number of core sectors, Scotland has sent its biggest delegation to date to the GITEX exhibition in Dubai.
Fourteen Scottish information and communication technology (ICT) companies are attending this year?s event on the back of continued interest from Middle Eastern businesses in Scotland?s expertise. Scottish electrical and engineering exports to the Middle East hit US$400m in 2011, an increase of US$120m over the past 5 years, with companies developing expertise in a number of specialised areas including software and sensors technology, digital health, and games development. Earlier this month Visual Management Systems Limited (VMS), a Scotland based security management company, established a partnership with Trads, the Dubai-based security and business continuity specialist. In addition, Amor Group, Scotland's largest independent business technology company, opened an office in Dubai in 2012 following a contract to provide IT services to Dubai airports. "Some of the most exciting developments in technology in recent years have taken place in Scotland, a trend started nearly one hundred years ago when Scotsman John Logie Baird invented the word?s first television in the early 20th century." said Mark Hallan, Senior Director Europe, Middle East & Africa at Scottish Development International. "Since then Scotland has established a global reputation for excellence in the ICT and engineering industries, employing 150,000 people and producing over 15,000 relevant technology graduates every year, a sector which today contributes US$5.1 billion to the Scottish economy."Scotland has a very strong and vibrant ICT and electronics sector focussed around a highly educated and skilled work force, building on a strong tradition of innovation and creativity. Despite the rapid changes in global circumstances which are reshaping the industry, Scotland has successfully adapted and maintained a reputation for excellence. Hallan added: "We are seeing increasing numbers of Middle Eastern companies recognising where Scottish expertise and talent in the ICT sector can add value to their business. As other nations, particularly in East Asia, have developed their manufacturing bases, Scottish companies have reinvented themselves as high-end producers as opposed to high-volume manufacturers. This shift in focus appears to be where the future lies for Scotland's electronic industry and we are bringing that experience and expertise to GITEX this year."Scotland performs exceptionally well academically. The country has the highest concentration of universities in Europe and a long history of groundbreaking academic research. The ICT industry in Scotland currently comprises around 900 companies which employ around 55,000 people working in research, development and production. Scottish trade with the Middle East is particularly concentrated around the food and drink, renewable energy and oil and gas sectors together with education, travel and tourism, ICT and finance. A delegation of 26 Scottish companies recently undertook a trade delegation to the region to tap into growing opportunities in the region.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.
