Nicola Sturgeon will welcome £6.3million of investment in Scotland today on the first day of a visit to America.
The announcements from Spiritus Partners Limited, ION Geophysical Corporation and PPS UK will secure 44 jobs in the data analytics and life sciences sectors.
All three firms have been supported by Scottish Enterprise through grants of more than £1.5million.
The First Minister will have various meetings during her five-day visit to the US, aimed at promoting trade, investment, tourism and innovation.
Among the engagements, she has been invited to give a speech at Stanford University on Scotland’s place in the world.
She is also expected to sign a joint agreement with Governor of California, Jerry Brown, on tackling climate change.
Sturgeon said: “The US is Scotland’s biggest source of inward investment and, in the wake of Article 50 being triggered and the risk of a hard Brexit, it is vital we continue to build on the success of our current business relationship with the US.
“Scotland remains open for business and I’m delighted these companies have chosen to expand here. It further demonstrates our position as a prime location for inward investment.”
The Scottish Government have already made one announcement linked to the visit – that US technology firm Xilinx Inc are to invest £3.8million in their research centre in Edinburgh, creating 12 new jobs and protecting 30 existing roles.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The relationship between Scotland and America is an important one with deep, long-standing ties reflected by the strong economic, cultural and personal links of our citizens.”
