Unosquare, an Oregon-based software development company, has chosen Belfast as the location for an Engineering Centre that will create 100 jobs by the end of 2019 (www.unosquare.com).

Announcing the new investment, Invest Northern Ireland CEO Alastair Hamilton said: “Unosquare provides software development services for customers involved in cancer diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. This new centre will service existing US customers, as well as support expansion into the UK and European markets.

“The company has two other engineering centres — in Mexico — but has chosen to open this latest centre in Belfast due to the availability of a strong pool of software engineers and our ability to offer support towards securing the project for Northern Ireland.

“It uses innovative technology that will not only enhance Northern Ireland’s technical capabilities, contributing towards the expansion of our IT sector, but also give experienced software developers new skills and exposure to new technology.”

Unosquare CEO Mike Barrett said: “Global demand for high-end software development continues to grow. Companies have more software engineering needs than engineers to deliver them, plus we are helping clients to develop cancer diagnostics and treatment using the latest technologies.

“Invest NI’s financial and business support throughout this process has been of real value. They helped us understand the local technology market, introduced us to others who came before us, and helped guide us through the ramp-up process. Along with the financial assistance offered, this has been a crucial factor in our decision.”