Good Growth in Belfast

Belfast is focused on growth, but not at any cost. The city is shaping its future to meet the needs of its people – investing in high growth sectors that create local opportunities, using data to help design solutions to persistent inequalities, and investing in the foundations that support long-term, inclusive growth.

Growing local strengths through partnership

A defining feature of Belfast’s growth story is the strength of its partnerships. The £1 billion Belfast Region City Deal reflects this – bringing together funding and expertise from local councils, the Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government, universities and further education colleges to invest in sectors where the region has real economic potential.

One area of focus is the city’s creative and digital sector. Studio Ulster – a new, world-class virtual production centre – has been launched as a one-stop shop for moviemakers, game designers and film editors. It strengthens Northern Ireland’s ability to attract productions of all scales and is expected to bring in significant private investment.

Other transformative investments are bringing together industry and research excellence to support the continued growth of the important health and life sciences sector, including the application of advanced digital capabilities. Belfast's three centres of excellence; the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology and its associated living labs, the clinical trials focused iREACH Health, and the multi-disciplinary Momentum One Zero, all underline the city’s trajectory as a world-class innovation and research eco-system with real world benefits.

The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) project, in partnership with Ulster University and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, will give advanced manufacturing and engineering businesses access to the very latest technology, specialist equipment and expertise. The ‘Factory of the Future’ will be AMIC’s flagship facility and will become Northern Ireland’s national centre for advanced manufacturing, significantly accelerating levels of innovation and collaboration between industry and researchers.

And the recently opened UK Digital Twin Centre provides shared physical and digital infrastructure to support the development of digital twins - virtual replicas that enable quicker analysis and testing of prototypes and innovations. The centre, led by Digital Catapult, is initially focusing on sectors including maritime and aerospace.

City leaders are clear that the impact of these investments must extend into small businesses and the wider community. Local training and apprenticeships, skills pathways, and job creation are built into City Deal projects to ensure that surrounding communities see and feel the benefits directly. 

The City Deal and other local initiatives have made Belfast an appealing base for businesses. Around 70% of companies that set up in the region go on to reinvest, reflecting confidence in the city's ecosystem. This growth creates jobs, but also pressures, including increasing housing demand. In response, several build-to-rent housing schemes are now in development and Belfast City Council has put its own assets in the mix, with a local private sector partner to make in-roads into its vision for successful city living.

Shaping inclusive growth through community insight

Belfast’s approach to growth starts with the needs of its communities. The Belfast Agenda, the city’s long-term community plan, outlines a vision for inclusive growth, better life outcomes and greater support for groups that have been overlooked.

Addressing persistent inequalities requires access to the right insights and data. Queen’s University’s Communities and Place initiative (QCAP) is helping to make that possible by working with residents in some city communities to co-design practical tools, such as a community dashboard that collates information on housing, health, education and employment.

This data democratisation is already starting to inform action on the ground. Findings from QCAP’s research identified concerns around substance use and rising living costs. In response, local groups set up targeted support such as mental health services, food hampers and overdose prevention training. QCAP’s model shows how sharing data can lead to more effective regeneration and better outcomes.

Delivering place-based growth

As Belfast continues to grow, there is ongoing debate about how to ensure economic opportunity is more evenly shared. Delivering balanced, sustainable growth requires long-term, place-based policies that reflect the distinct assets, needs, and opportunities of different communities and economic eco-systems. As the recent Modern Industrial Strategy calls out, the Growth Deals in place and under development across Northern Ireland provide a real opportunity for this to happen.

In Belfast, this also means drawing on the expertise of those who understand the city’s social and economic fabric - ensuring that growth enhances, rather than erodes, what makes places unique. From its surrounding hills to its cultural markers and civic identity, protecting Belfast’s character is seen as integral to its future.