Media technology company Mediasmiths has opened a software research and development (R&D) facility called Forge in Belfast, which will create 15 new jobs.
Dr Terry Harmer will head up the operation as general manager, tasked with setting up a high-quality development, testing and support organisation, and building the company’s research capability.
Following his appointment, a further six technical experts will join the team within the first year to facilitate growth and innovation.
The facility will be based in central Belfast, a well-known site for a number of broadcast, mobile and defence technology clusters in Northern Ireland.
Aims to be a centre of excellence
Mediasmiths Forge will look to become a ‘centre of excellence’ for organisations looking to fill a digital knowledge gap, or those coping with a period of transformational change in digital workflows and operations. Invest Northern Ireland has offered £75,000 of support towards the investment project.
Making the announcement, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said the Mediasmiths Forge project would deliver more than £640,000 annually in salaries, making it “exactly the type of high-quality investment that Invest NI is focused on securing”.
“We have expanded operations by 100pc over the past six months, doubling our footprint. Mediasmiths’ Forge will act as a hub for innovation and R&D, enabling the company to offer bespoke solutions that solve technical, operational and business problems across the media industry,” said Niall Duffy, managing director for Mediasmiths.
