Dublin Software Firm Expands Newry Operation

A Dublin-based software developer has established a 'centre of excellence' across the border in Newry as part of a £700,000 investment.

Supported by Invest Northern Ireland, Softedge Systems, the first European Microsoft IP Venture Partner, develops and markets software products that are differentiated by their ease of use.

Softedge said that its R&D and project management teams in Ireland and coding team in India is able to offer high quality, cost-effective software development.

Softedge's Newry centre is using Microsoft technology to develop state-of-the-art software products which enable streaming of high quality video, animation and interactive features online.

Invest NI has now offered £140,000 towards the project. This includes £85,000, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, to support skills development activities.

Announcing the investment, Invest NI's Managing Director of Business International, Jeremy Fitch, said: "Northern Ireland has a deep pool of graduate ICT talent and offers a competitive, high value option for international companies seeking to establish a software development centre in a near-market location.

"The decision by Softedge Systems to locate in Newry is testament to these qualities and will add to Northern Ireland’s already strong capability in the sector. The company's centre of excellence will be at the leading edge of software development and will play a major role in helping Softedge deliver innovative solutions for its clients."

Mr Fitch added: "Creating 15 new ICT posts that will generate total annual salaries of over £450,000 by 2012, the investment is indicative of Invest NI's commitment to securing high value investment opportunities."

Vikas Sahni, Chief Executive Officer of Softedge Systems (NI) Ltd, said: "The centre of excellence in Northern Ireland is an integral part of the company's overall growth plans. The availability of a talented workforce and the valuable support of Invest NI were major factors in the decision to invest.

"By recruiting a mix of experienced and graduate software specialists and further developing their skills, we are putting in place a blend of talent that will underpin our capability in both service delivery and research well into the future.

"The Newry centre is focusing initially on developing software solutions using Microsoft's innovative Silverlight technology.

"More and more organisations are incorporating the unique system into their websites and we believe the Newry centre will strongly position us to take advantage of this demand," he said, noting that 15 new jobs will be developed over three years, with the first two expected to be in place by July.

(BMcC/JM)