Announcement of Highland ranking in fDi Intelligence's "European Cities & Regions of the Future 2024” welcomed.

fDi Intelligence (part of the Financial Times) has ranked Highland in their flagship ‘European Cities & Regions of the Future’ 2024, as 6th best overall under the category of small regions. 

The rankings which benchmark European cities and regions according to their economic, financial, and business strengths, places the Highlands alongside the likes of Basel area, Leipzig and Ireland South East. 

Welcoming the announcement Chair of the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans attributes the success in the rankings to a close partnership approach and the hard work and commitment of everyone involved.

He said: “Opportunities resulting from the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, along with the growth in other key sectors such as tourism, space and life sciences make Highland one of the most exciting areas in Europe to invest. It is great news that the growing economy and future investment potential of our area has been recognised.

“To rank so highly against cities across Europe is a reflection of the excellent work the Council and our partners are doing to make the whole of our area an attractive prospect for investors. As well as the business opportunities, the rankings also take into account the lifestyle people can enjoy which plays a big part in creating the right mix to draw new investment to our area.”

Together with the Green Freeport, the £25m redevelopment of Inverness Castle and the surrounding area and the Inverness Campus are just some of the key projects enabling a varied investment portfolio of heritage, culture, infrastructure, technology, life sciences, and transport to attract new employment and growth opportunities. There has never been a better time to invest in our region.”

The Leader of The Highland Council Councillor Raymond Bremner added: “The Highlands has the potential to become the exemplar for green energy generation in the world. It has access to unparalleled natural resources with existing and potential opportunities for green energy schemes, low carbon initiatives including carbon sequestration, and renewables. It is now time to seize the initiative and invest in making it happen, to secure a fair share of the income derived from the development of the region’s natural resources.

Highland has many strengths and opportunities – internationally recognised cultural and regional heritage; an unparalleled natural environment; low crime; vibrant communities and strong local identities; positive public, community and voluntary sector partnerships; internationally renowned tourism and food and drinks industries, agriculture and aquaculture sectors; and growth potential in newer sectors in the green and blue economies, space, health tech and natural capital.”

Vicky Grant, head of Inward Investment at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), said: “It’s great to see the Highlands feature prominently in the FDI Intelligence 2024 ‘European Cities & Regions of the Future’ as the area continues to make a significant contribution to Scotland’s overall success and attractiveness for foreign direct investment. In addition to the outstanding quality of life available here, our region offers expertise across sectors such as Energy, Space, Food and Drink and Health Tech, as well as excellent infrastructure and connectivity.

“As Scotland’s development agency for the region, we work closely with companies looking to invest here. We help them identify the ideal location, find premises, help with recruitment and training, and can often also help financially. Beyond that, we continue working with them to make sure they have access to the full range of support they need to prosper.”