Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)
www.hie.co.uk
Postal AddressKW14 8AZ
News for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)
16/7/2026 : Visitor Attractions
One of Caithness's newest success stories is proving that location is no barrier to reaching customers around the world. 8 Doors Distillery in John O'Groats, Scotland's most northerly mainland whisky distillery, is expanding into international markets with support from Scottish Enterprise and Team Scotland, demonstrating how businesses from the far north can compete on the global stage.
8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
Enterprise agencies in Scotland — Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and the South of Scotland Enterprise regularly publish impressive sounding figures about “jobs created”, “jobs retained”, and “economic impact”. These numbers appear in annual reports, ministerial speeches, and press releases.
8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
Enterprise agencies in Scotland have spent decades publishing glossy numbers about “jobs created” and “jobs retained”. As the Highlands knows all too well, these figures often bear little resemblance to what actually happens on the ground.
8/7/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
Rural job creation is one of the most misunderstood parts of economic development. Politicians talk about “hundreds of jobs created”, enterprise agencies publish glossy figures, and press releases celebrate “transformational investment”.
25/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
More than £50m of additional public investment was attracted to the Highlands and Islands last year by the region’s development agency. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) almost doubled its £53m opening budget from the start of financial year 2025/26, delivering an annual spend of £105m to create hundreds of jobs and grow the regional economy.
19/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HIE at Global Offshore Wind 2026, marking a shared commitment to strengthen the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland. The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HIE at Global Offshore Wind 2026, marking a shared commitment to strengthen the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland.
17/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
A press release from Highlands and Islands set us digging - see it at the bottom of this article. Something strange is happening in Scotland’s salmon industry, and it’s not the kind of thing you’ll find in a government press release.
14/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
For decades, Highlands and Islands Enterprise was the economic backbone of the far north. It wasn’t perfect, but it was one of the few institutions that understood the basic truth of life in Caithness: distance costs money, and if the state doesn’t step in, the market won’t.
14/6/2026 : Local Authority
Caithness has reached a moment where the old assumptions about public investment no longer hold. For decades, the region could rely on a three‑pillar system: HIE to drive economic development, Scottish Enterprise and national programmes to support growth, and Highland Council to deliver the infrastructure that underpins daily life.
26/5/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services
Otter Ferry Seafish Ltd is aiming to demonstrate that juvenile halibut can be grown successfully and commercially in sea cages in Scottish waters. A £97,400 aquaculture research and development project in Argyll, is aiming to demonstrate that juvenile halibut can be grown successfully and commercially in sea cages in Scottish waters.
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Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people.