CultureTECH Partners With Invest NI

CultureTECH, the digital technology and media festival, which will take place in L’Derry this September, has announced details of its partnership with Invest Northern Ireland.

The partnership will see over 20 new events being added to the programme, focused on supporting Northern Ireland's creative industries to go global and builds on Invest NI's support for the inaugural festival in 2012 and its ongoing support for the creative industries in Northern Ireland.

Brian Dolaghan, Invest NI Director of Technology and Services said: "We were delighted to be involved in the first CultureTECH event last year. Not only was it a highly innovative event but it has created a tremendous showcasing opportunity for the Northern Ireland creative industries, particularly those from the digital and media sectors.

"This year, Invest NI will be running a series of workshops to outline the range of support and advice available to help companies in these sectors to trade successfully and compete in a global market.

"Invest NI's partnership will see the inclusion of over 20 branded seminars and workshops across the week, focusing on key export-focused topics. These will cover subjects such as market research, export skills, intellectual property advice, technical support and financial support. The investment will also support entrepreneurship events for young people as part of the CultureTECH Junior strand of the festival."

Perhaps most intriguingly, CultureTECH will also be creating a 'pop-up' Invest NI office in L'Derry city centre.

Festival Director Mark Nagurski explained: "Working with Invest NI is a pretty obvious one for us as one of the key motivations behind CultureTECH is to see the creative digital sectors in Northern Ireland grow. The workshop programme gives that aim some substance and brings a completely different dimension to the festival that simply wouldn't happen without Invest NI's support. We're also hoping that Invest NI will use the festival as an opportunity to bring many of their overseas contacts – and in particular, potential investors – to the city and region to catch a glimpse of the sector at its best."

(CD/H)