While governments grow more protectionist over trade and physical borders, Microsoft is bridging the gap by funding international collaborative enterprises.

Popular before the crisis, Romania has seen a dearth of inward investment since 2008. The downturn has been blamed on political turbulence and a lack of credit, problems still evident, but a flurry of deals at the start of the year suggests that investors are once again looking to take advantage of the country's attractive talent pool and technological expertise.

Renewable energy has become big business in recent years, both in developed markets – where many companies use it as a cheap 'off-grid' option – and developing markets, where it is widely viewed as a long-term solution to electricity supply problems. However, is commitment to this source of energy weakening among the world's governments?

Data centres are becoming increasingly essential business assets, and as many companies realise their need for such facilities, so too are locations across the US waking up to the economic benefits of hosting these large, power-hungry sites.

The software and ICT industry is the world's leading sector for global FDI projects, but with its success has come more exposure to cyber attacks. And as the network forensics business thrives due to the escalating threats, the shortage of ICT professionals around the world is cause for concern.