Seagate creates 25 new jobs in £47m Derry investment

Jeremy Fitch, executive director at Invest Northern Ireland, Noel Lavery, permanent secretary at the Department for the Economy and Dave Mosley, chief executive officer of Seagate Technology.

Seagate, the data storage company, is investing £47m in a research and development project at its Londonderry factory, creating 25 highly skilled jobs.

The project will be supported with a grant of almost £10m from Invest NI.

Seagate currently has about 1,400 staff, making it one of the north west's biggest employers.

The project will focus on nanophotonics - the generation and manipulation of tiny points of light.

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Dave Mosley, chief executive of Seagate, said: "Today's investment extends a successful, collaborative partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and will further strengthen our ability to deliver customer-centric technology."

Since opening in Derry 1994, the company has become one of the city's largest employers

Seagate has been a major beneficiary of public support for job creation and research projects, receiving about £175m.

Invest NI said that has enabled large investments from the company.

Jeremy Fitch, executive director of Business Solutions, Invest NI said: "Seagate first came to Northern Ireland in 1994, investing £50m and creating 500 new jobs.

"Fast forward 25 years and the facility now employs 1,400 people and it is estimated that the company has invested in excess of £1bn in capital here."

Invest NI's support is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the EU Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme.