Businesses across the UK are being encouraged to invest in Dorset.

Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has produced five investment prospectuses which are available to download.

The prospectuses highlight more than 50 case studies of transformational business successes from the county including companies such as Lush and Sunseeker who compete on the global stage.

Each guide covers a specific sector key to the Dorset economy: advanced engineering and manufacturing; agritech; financial services; marine; and digital and creative.

They have been produced by the LEP’s Invest in Dorset team, a group of economic development professionals who help clients identify opportunities for growth and expansion in Dorset.

The team offers a support package that includes location and labour market advice, assistance on securing funding, introductions to training and recruitment partners, mentoring, networking and help with relocating staff.

Vinita Nawathe, Dorset LEP executive director, said: “Investors and entrepreneurs need to understand what return on investment they can expect in our region.

“We have a great story to tell across a range of industries, with many businesses right at the cutting edge of high-growth sectors.

“Our guides explain why leading companies and organisations have based themselves here and the benefits that others can expect to enjoy if they follow in their footsteps.

“Free to download, the guides complement the work of Invest in Dorset in providing a clear road map for investors and entrepreneurs.

“Here in Dorset and BCP we have all the fundamentals in place for successful investment and the determination and talent to deliver.

“Attracting more investment for Dorset and BCP and creating fresh opportunities means we will continue to breathe life into our communities at this challenging time for the economy.

“People want homes, jobs, access to learning, a safe and healthy environment and a great quality of life.

“We want growth to benefit everyone and we invite the world to come and join us and continue to make that happen here in our beautiful coastal region.”

Permeating the guides is a host of economic information about Dorset including the contribution to workplace skills by education providers such as Bournemouth University, Arts University Bournemouth, The Bournemouth & Poole College, Weymouth College and Kingston Maurward College.

Invest in Dorset hopes to tempt inward investors through the region’s focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and the apprenticeship and career opportunities supported by the commercialisation of academic research.

The guides highlight that nearly half of the 350,000-strong workforce across Dorset and BCP are in managerial or professional roles.

Every year, there are more than 4,200 graduates leaving Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth, with 22,000 degree students living in the county altogether.

On the digital and creative side, Invest in Dorset say more than half of all the graduates working in the UK’s film, visual effects and video games industries were educated in Dorset.

The sector supports more than 12,000 jobs and makes an annual economic contribution of more than half a billion pounds.

On the marine side, the guide writers say Dorset has a quarter of the South West’s marine manufacturing jobs, offering investors substantial scope for research and development opportunities together with a ready supply chain.

A key marine investment already under way is the £26 million berth development in Portland Harbour which is expected to attract companies working in activities such as marine autonomous systems.

In the financial services sector, leading brands such as LV, JP Morgan and BNY Mellon are among 1,600 firms together employing more than 14,000 people in Dorset and contributing £1.7 billion to the economy. The sector has seen a 20 per cent growth in Dorset in the past ten years.

Case studies of innovative companies featured in the five guides include:

• Mudeford-based Pixii, manufacturer of zero-emissions electric boats, founded in 2020 with the aim of becoming the world’s first 100 per cent carbon neutral marine company. https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/marine-autonomy
• Outpost VFX, a leading provider of high-end visual effects for the global film industry that has doubled in size in the past year. Headquartered in Bournemouth and with offices in Montreal, Los Angeles, Mumbai and London, Outpost lists clients such as Netflix, Amazon, Universal and HBO. Recent projects include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon and Thor: Love and Thunder. https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/creative-digital-sector
• Poundbury-based Morning Data, which makes and supplies software and automated service solutions for the global insurance sector. The company strives for a 50/50 gender balance in its team in what is a predominantly male industry through mentoring programmes, schools’ contacts, careers events and work experience. https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/financial-services
• Defence Battlelab, a multi-partner collaboration involving the Ministry of Defence that is the first of its kind in the UK. Based at Dorset Innovation Park, Winfrith Newburgh, Wool, the public-private initiative is focused on the development of defence related technology accelerated by the convergence of 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing. https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/advanced-engineering-and-manufacturing
• Jurassic Sea Farms, a seaweed harvester looking to expand from an initial seeding cultivation in Portland Port and capitalise on the growing global interest in seaweeds as ‘super foods’ and materials for use in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, biofuels and fertiliser industries. https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/agritech-aquaculture

All the guides are downloadable from www.dorsetlep.co.uk. For more information on Invest in Dorset, visit https://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/invest-in-dorset.