SAP rising in Ulster

International business software giant

is investing a further £900,000 in its Campus-based Engineering Centre (CEC) research facility at

.

The CEC was established in February 2006 to carry out advanced software research. The latest investment, supported by Invest Northern Ireland, will allow the CEC to diversify into the emerging area of system virtualisation, a way of illustrating complex systems.

Invest NI chief executive Leslie Morrison said: ‘Invest NI welcomes this strategic investment by SAP, one of the world’s leading providers of business software solutions. By expanding its presence in Northern Ireland, SAP is highlighting the confidence of the international ICT sector in doing business here.

‘Our local universities offer a wealth of expertise, particularly in the areas of grid computing and system virtualisation, making Northern Ireland an ideal location for research and development.’

Dr Ben Greene, director of research at the SAP CEC in Belfast, said: ‘Our R&D capability is crucial to our future growth and we are pleased with the results achieved by our initial research project in Belfast.

‘The level of skills and knowledge available in Northern Ireland made it a natural choice of location for us to begin substantive research into system virtualisation, which will add to the significant advances we have already made in grid computing.’

The project is part funded by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).