Development agency Scottish Development International (SDI) has announced it will expand to seven further overseas offices in the next year.

Staff figures will increase by a quarter under the new expansion. Asia is the biggest target for growth, where SDI is particularly targeting the business services, energy, food & drink, life sciences and technology industry, and will open new offices in China and India later this year.

In June, Ernst & Young's 2012 Attractiveness Survey reported that Scotland was the UK's leading location for direct foreign investment for the second year running.

Other new bases will come in Brazil, Norway and West Africa, while Middle East offices will also see expansion.

In 2011-12, SDI worked with over 1,000 Scottish firms targeting new global markets, and supported over 30 inward investors on projects whose combined expenditure totalled £163m.