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FM welcomes completion of Scotland Week deal and announces 2014 attendance.

Leading business analytics software and services firm, SAS, has yesterday (Monday 17 March, 2014) opened a major research and development (R&D) centre in Glasgow, with a focus on combatting fraud and financial crimes.

First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed the news saying ‘it will position Scotland as an international centre of excellence for developing solutions to tackle fraud and bolster security’. The dedicated SAS R&D centre in Glasgow joins other SAS global R&D centres, including the R&D division headquartered in the US.

Yesterday’s announcement is a direct result of a meeting between senior SAS representatives and the First Minister during Scotland Week 2013, which saw 202 high-value jobs created and safeguarded with a £1.3 million investment announced last April.

The First Minister will attend Scotland Week 2014 to continue the programme of engagement with the North American business community and promote the skills and expertise of Scotland. The First Minister’s programme will focus on business meetings and activities.

The First Minister said:

“SAS is a prestigious global company and it’s fantastic to see the decision to expand extensively in Scotland come to fruition.

“The new facility will position Scotland as an international centre of excellence for developing solutions to tackle fraud and bolster security and will create a substantial number of highly-skilled, high-value jobs – a significant feather in Scotland’s cap.

“Scotland offers international companies a well-educated and trained workforce, competitive infrastructure and supportive government agencies, and this investment by SAS is a terrific example of how that international reputation pays off.

“This deal was originally announced during Scotland Week 2013 when I met with SAS executive vice president Mikael Hagstrom, and I’m delighted to return to New York this year to continue our engagement with the American business community.

“Scotland Week offers an important opportunity to meet companies such as SAS and to encourage even more of this type of job creation in Scotland. I look forward to meeting with more companies this year about the exceptional opportunities Scotland presents as a country to invest and do business with.”

Mikael Hagstrom, SAS executive vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (AP) said:

“SAS is proud to be building on its existing operations in Scotland. We initially established a global research and development team to create business applications to help modernise law enforcement, improve public safety and enhance national security. The initial investments allowed SAS to see the real Scottish potential with easy access to Europe, the excellent pool of talent from universities and its strong culture of innovation.

“Using this experience, we will fortify our efforts in thwarting financial crime and fraud through this new facility and also focus global R&D centres on advancing the development of big data analytics as the engine of the information economies across the world. The UK has the opportunity to take a lead in the global efforts to deliver real financial benefit from big data – considered a 21^st century raw material and referred to by analysts as “new oil”. To do this we also need to ensure that government, academia and businesses work together to further develop the skills available and actively support programmes that nurture development in the next generation.”

Anne MacColl, chief executive, Scottish Development International, said: “Data Analytics is an area of significant growth potential and one in which Scotland is well placed to take a leading role as part of the global opportunity that big data represents.

“Scottish Development International is delighted to be able to support SAS in the creation of its R&D centre and we are committed to helping the company realise its growth strategies in Scotland.”

Notes to editors

For original SAS announcement, please see:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/04/SAS-jobs050413

A picture for the First Minister meeting Mikael Hagstrom, SAS Executive Vice-President for EMEA and Asia Pacific during Scotland Week 2013 can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/8620335388/in/photostream/

More detail on the First Minister’s Scotland Week 2014 programme will be announced in due course.

These strategic investments are made at a time of increasing global demand for SAS’ industry-leading big data analytic solutions. The use of analytics has become critical across industries, such as public security, financial services retail, telecommunications and manufacturing, to support better decision-making that will advance improvements in business operations, performance and innovation as well as preventing fraud and mitigating risk.

SAS has developed SAS Curriculum Pathways, as an online resource for secondary school teachers and students, and the SAS Student Academy programme, which gives educational institutions the ability to train students in big data skills.

SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 70,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW^®. SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2014 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.