Highlands and Islands Enterprise

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Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic development agency for the sparsely populated northern and western half of Scotland.

The Highlands and Islands of Scotland have around 19,000 businesses, more than 440,000 individuals with skills and potential of their own - and more than 8,000 voluntary and community groups. The task of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is to unlock that potential and help create a strong, diverse and sustainable economy. HIE's activities include: delivery of business support services, provision of training and learning programmes, assistance for community and cultural projects and measures for environmental renewal. Much of HIE's work is undertaken through locally-based offices throughout its area.

In 1991 HIE replaced the Highlands and Islands Development Board, a public body in Scotland responsible for distributing government grants for economic and cultural development of the Highlands that was formed in 1965. Retired diplomat Sir Andrew Gilchrist was its chairman from 1970 until 1976.

[edit] Area covered by HIE

[edit] Strategy

The refreshed version of the Scottish Government strategy 'A Smart, Successful Scotland' was launched in November 2004. The document carries forward the strategic objectives of the national enterprise strategy, together with its two cross-cutting themes of sustainable development and closing the opportunity gap. It also builds on the Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (FEDS), the Scottish Government's economic development strategy. How the enterprise strategy will be implemented in the north-west half of Scotland is set out in A Smart, Successful Highlands and Islands.

HIE's aim is to enable people living in the Highlands and Islands to realise their full potential on a long-term sustainable basis. The aim is founded on the belief that the people who live there have the prospect of enjoying one of the most fulfilling existences in the developed world. The concept of sustainable development lies at the heart of this approach. Enabling people to realise their full potential is about utilising resources wisely in a way that assists current residents to improve their lives, without constraining the ability of future Highlands and Islands residents to make their own improvements from an enriched, rather than depleted, resource-base.

The equivalent organisation for lowland Scotland is Scottish Enterprise.