The Department for International Trade (DIT) announces the launch of the UK Investment Support Directory, a new online tool which will help international investors set up and expand their operations in the UK.

Hosted on the invest.great.gov.uk website, the new searchable Directory will connect international investors to businesses across the UK which provide services key to helping a business set up or expand their operations in the UK, including experts in accountancy, law, consultancy, recruitment and more.

Through the new online platform, potential investors will be able to tailor their search for support and source experts by industry, region, business experience and language expertise. Once an appropriate business has been identified, the investor will be offered a free hour-long consultation to discuss their specific business needs.

Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart MP said:

The launch of the new Investment Support Directory is one of many ways in which DIT is helping to drive investment to every corner of the UK.

We hope this new Directory will be an invaluable resource for investors thinking of setting up operations in the UK.

We are making it easier than ever before for foreign investors to find opportunities in the UK, supported by our network of HMTCs and global experts across more than 100 countries, to ensure the UK remains the number one destination for foreign direct investment in Europe.

Mark Slaughter, Director General for Investment said:

The UK Investment Support Directory is a smart, new digital tool that innovatively connects investors to private sector expertise.

This interactive platform allows investors to tailor their searches to find the specific advice they are looking for or generates a range of businesses if they aren’t sure what they’re looking for yet.

It is another way DIT is helping support foreign investment by streamlining connections between UK businesses and overseas investors.

The new platform is designed to support the investment process by making information more accessible and is part of wider initiatives by the department to increase foreign direct investment into the UK. Recent figures published by the OECD confirm the UK as the leading destination for foreign direct investment in Europe, and the third most significant in the world, behind the US and China.

The directory will also help promote the expertise of the UK’s service sector to investors across the globe.

The directory is currently live and can be found here.

Further information:

• Contact newsdesk@trade.gov.uk or DIT’s media team on 020 7215 2000
• Follow us: @tradegovuk and gov.uk/dit

Latest FDI data

• UK outstrips other EU nations as top investment destination in Europe

Latest Export data

• Latest statistics from the ONS show UK firms sold more overseas in the 2018/19 financial year, £639.9 billion, than at any time since records began.
• The UK has now achieved 36 consecutive months of export growth on an annual rolling basis.
• Separate OECD data shows UK exports grew faster than Germany, France and Italy between 2016 and 2018.