Derby has a history of innovation dating back to the industrial revolution, a mindset that continues to serve it well into the digital age. Local authorities – keen to make the city somewhere to live as well as work – have spent the past few years improving Derby's leisure offering, all of which is enabling the city to continue to punch above its weight.

The CEO of machining and assembled components supplier Metem tells fDi that innovation is at the core of his company's strategy, a mindset that enables its younger workers to thrive.

The UK's manufacturing decline of recent years seems to have bypassed Derby, which has met the challenge of low-cost competitors in the developing world by focusing upon quality.

With global demand for new aircraft estimated to be 20,000 over the next 20 years, it is unsurprising that destinations the world over are queuing up to show off their credentials in the aerospace sector. But how many of them can provide the holy trinity of incentive programmes, close proximity to suppliers and customers, and a skilled employee base?

Wallonia’s reputation as a destination for avionics innovation is gathering pace, as infrastructure develops around its aerospace cluster and links are forged between research and business.

The US city of Houston has a lot to offer as a business destination, as its strong record in FDI proves. Its only problem, says the city's mayor, Annise Parker, is in trying to shake off outdated negative perceptions.

FDI is badly needed in India, but critics say that the government must work to improve the country’s business environment if it is to attract investment on the scale required. 

Paris may attract the lion's share of France's FDI inflows, but the leaders of other French cities – Toulouse, Nice, Marseille and Lille – argue that there are just as many opportunities for investment elsewhere in the country, with specialist hubs and clusters growing in the life sciences, aerospace and textiles sectors.