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<p>In 2021, His Majesty’s Government and the Northern Ireland Executive signed the
first ever City Deal for Northern Ireland. The Belfast Region City Deal unlocks £1
billion of transformative joint investment which will deliver more than 20 highly
ambitious projects and programmes, create up to 20,000 new and better jobs, and help
make the region a global centre of innovation.</p><p>Northern Ireland has 86% gigabit-capable
coverage*, the best connectivity out of all the home nations of the UK, which will
likely improve with the £5 billion investment in Project Gigabit. Additionally, our
work with the Department for the Economy on Project Stratum has improved broadband
connectivity for 50% of target premises as of September. The Northern Ireland Gigabit
Open Market Review is scheduled to launch in early Autumn 2022.</p><p>BDUK has worked
with the Department for Economy and the Local Authorities on Full Fibre Northern Ireland
to deliver connectivity to over 887 buildings with investment of over £24 million
from His Majesty’s Government. Connectivity upgrades to 199 buildings were achieved
by Belfast City Council with a grant of £9.3 million.</p><p>His Majesty’s Government
is committed to investing in the skills of people of Northern Ireland and promoting
Northern Ireland’s potential as a leader in innovative technologies. The Cyber Explorers
scheme supports 11–14 year-olds to boost their understanding and interest in a career
in cyber. In addition, Cyber Runway provides business skills, product development,
connections and mentoring to UK cyber companies at three stages of the business lifecycle:
Launch, Grow and Scale. Cyber Runway is delivered in partnership with the Centre for
Secure Information Technologies in Belfast and an event will be held in the city in
November 2023 to support the local economy.</p><p>DCMS is supporting businesses across
the UK through investment. The £12 million Digital Growth Grant will support companies
across the UK to access finance and business advice through tailored growth programmes
and events. In addition, the £2.6 billion UKSPF fund encourages areas across the UK
to consider interventions to support and grow their local tech ecosystems.</p><p>The
creative industries are also major players in the digital economy, with inward investment
reaching nearly £1 billion in 2020. To help support these businesses, DCMS is providing
nearly £50 million in support for the creative industries across the UK, including
the £8 million UK Games Fund (UKGF) and £21 million UK Global Screen Fund that will
promote investment in innovative creative businesses. The UKGF provides grant support
to early-game stage games development companies across the UK, including in Northern
Ireland.</p><p>Furthermore, the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Creative Clusters
Programme supports local businesses in the Northern Ireland screen sector to innovate
and drive investment. It is called Future Screens Northern Ireland and is run by a
consortium of higher education institutes, industry partners, and public organisations.</p><p>*(ThinkBroadband,
August 2022)</p><p> </p>
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