ECONOMIC development agency Scottish Enterprise will today unveil an ambitious target of helping to create up to 35,000 jobs by 2015 by attracting foreign investors – including 12,000 "high-value" posts.
It will also, in its latest business plan, reveal its aim of attracting £350 million of private investment into the offshore renewable sector on the same timeframe.
Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson, speaking to The Herald ahead of today's unveiling of the business plan, meanwhile expressed her confidence that the uncertainty over the constitutional future of Scotland would not affect inward investment.
Ms Wilson said she does not believe the debate over Scottish independence is keeping overseas companies away.
She said: "I have no indication that this is an issue right now. You have to bear in mind these companies work in many different countries and jurisdictions all over the world.
"So when they look at Scotland they are looking at key things like the talent we have.
"If you want to be in renewables Scotland has most of the natural assets.
"So regardless of the constitutional question Scotland is still going to have those assets, we are still going to have our universities, our talent and Glasgow is still going to be a hotbed for R&D engineering."
Ms Wilson cited the recent announcement by Gamesa that it was putting its new manufacturing headquarters in Edinburgh as one example of how global companies are choosing Scotland for their operations.
Crawford Gillies, Scottish Enterprise chairman, warned the organisation would be operating in a heightened political atmosphere due to the debate on constitutional change. He said: "While we cannot ignore this debate, I am determined that it does not become a reason for inaction by us, or indeed by the companies we work with."
As part of its strategy announced today Scottish Enterprise intends to help an additional 10,000 businesses enter export markets.
Part of that will involve setting up new offices in fast growing economies such as Brazil, India and China.
The publicly funded agency also wants to add another 400 high growth companies to the 2000 it already account manages and increase its presence in key sectors such as oil and gas, renewables and life sciences.
Ms Wilson said: "We know there are opportunities so we are willing to put our targets up.
"The most important thing for the transformation of the Scottish economy is internationalisation.
"We have recruited more trade advisors and offer very intensive support for export. It is about making sure all over the world we are increasing our footprint.
"Our intention is to put someone in Brazil, open a second office in Calgary, Canada and have more offices in China and India and just build up our capacity to help companies once they get to market. I would also like to see the account managed companies numbers even higher because it means we would have more growing companies in Scotland employing more people."
Scottish Enterprise is also keen to make it easier for firms to access finance. Ms Wilson said: "We are going to be doing a lot more on the relationship side working intensively with banks and intermediaries to present companies to them.
"Sometimes it can be companies don't put the best case forward.
"We want to help the relationship managers at banks deeply understand how companies grow and the banks have been positive about that."
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