To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to address any regional disparities in the investment or export support provided by Scottish Development International.
In Scotland, we provide a range of targeted support to Scottish businesses via our various agencies and partners as they progress through their internationalisation journey. This includes investment and resources to grow their exports, build resilience and compete on the global stage. This support is Scotland wide, and as such is accessible to all businesses regardless of their location.
The Scottish Government acknowledges the importance of addressing any regional disparities in the investment and/or export support provided by Scottish Development International (SDI). This commitment is reinforced in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, which highlights the need to address current geographical disparities to deliver prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places, and emphasises that every region must both benefit from and contribute to a more productive and innovative economy. By recognising the distinct strengths and opportunities across Scotland’s diverse regions, the strategy underlines a clear intent to shape local economic plans that reflect and unlock regional potential—ensuring that export growth, investment and internationalisation are Scotland wide.
To ensure this is supported, a range of oversight mechanisms are in place. These include structured project management and performance indicators tracked through SDIs statistical reporting, and close collaboration with regional Enterprise Agencies and designated Trade and Investment leads to support activities for businesses across all regions in Scotland.
Additional support is also available through our wider partnership working and networks, such as Department for Business and Trade Scotland, including their export Champions, and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network based in region, who play an active role in delivering this support.
Scotland continues to attract high quality investment projects and has retained its position as the UK’s top-performing region for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside London for a record tenth year, according to the EY UK Attractiveness Survey (June 2025). The Scottish Government actively continues to evaluate support programmes through structured assessments and independent reviews, confirming their effectiveness. Updated evaluations have already commenced for both inward and export promotion and are expected to complete this financial year.
