Pictured at the launch of Atlantic Futures at the Guildhall, Derry are leaders from the 4 institutions (l-r) Dr Orla Flynn, President of Atlantic Technological University, Professor Liam Maguire, PVC Ulster University, Jim Livesey, VP Research and Innovation University of Galway and Dr Caroline Murphy, Senior Lecturer at University of Limerick.
The four-year Atlantic Futures Project, which launched at the Guildhall in Derry today (Friday), is a collaboration between Ulster University, University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University and University of Limerick.
The project focuses on sustainable regional development in the North West Atlantic Innovation Corridor region, which stretches from the western counties of Northern Ireland to the Shannon Estuary. The aim is to face into and embrace digital, green and energy transitions.
Announced in March, the flagship project has seen the creation of a research team organised in three hubs in Derry, Galway and Limerick, working to understand and address issues which uniquely affect this section of the Atlantic corridor. That includes slow economic growth, low levels of female entrepreneurship, higher rates of mental health difficulties among young people than ever before, barriers to digitalisation in rural areas and issues with international freight connectivity with no state ports or airports in the region.
The large-scale social science research will seek to examine these issues based on three themes – Innovation in Regional Context, Innovation in Regional Context and Technological and Infrastructural Opportunities and Challenges – with six working projects.Each project engages with partners in civil society, business, and government, with many major partners being involved across several projects.
Industry stakeholders and partner agency representatives such as InterTrade Ireland, Catalyst, the NI Mental Health Champion, Airporter, FTA Ireland, and Causeway Chamber will join with Derry’s Mayor Sandra Duffy to discuss these themes and explore solutions to challenges and the opportunities to maximise benefits for communities along the corridor.
Professor Liam Maguire, PVC Research, Ulster University, commented: “Atlantic Futures combines the significant research prowess of the four institutions to advance challenges in this distinct region.
“Our collective work aligns closely with national goals set out by both governments in the New Decade New Approach in Northern Ireland and the National Development Plan in the Republic of Ireland.
“Namely, of a regionally balanced economy which is common to both, a high quality international transport connectivity (NDP) and exploring digital connectivity and infrastructure (NDNA).
“From our progressive Derry~Londonderry campus, we are uniquely placed to contribute to this regional partnership, through research that can drive forward practical solutions for the benefit of individuals, organisations and communities.
“We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues in Galway, Limerick and ATU.”
Atlantic Futures launch event panel on Institutional and Cultural factors facing the region: Dr Caroline Murphy (Chair), Mary McKenna (Awaken Hub), Jennifer McKeever (Founding Director, Airporter), Professor Siobhan O’Neill (UU and NI Mental Health Champion) and Ian Power (CEO Spunout).
“This project is a big responsibility and we want to see it make a tangible difference with research in action such as mentoring for female entrepreneurs and management masterclasses along with focus groups and information from the people who live and work in the region.
“This brand new cross-border data and the insights it uncovers will be shared with others carrying out similar work in Europe and beyond, to help inform similar programmes for sustainable regional development.”
Professor Norelee Kennedy, Vice President Research at University of Limerick, said he wants their research to have an impact in the area.
“We are working together to achieve four outcomes. They are the alignment of the research capacity of the leading research institutions along the west coast of the island of Ireland around the problems of transition and transformation in our shared region.
“Development of a body of research to inform policy, co-created with relevant stakeholders addressing specific salient issues affecting the three city region; garnering new and robust insights into the developmental pathways for multi-city regional transformation; and understanding the role inter-cultural understanding and misunderstanding plays in cross-border collaboration and co-ordination.”
Dr Rick Officer, Vice President for Research and Innovation based at ATU’s Galway City campus is enthusiastic about the programme.
“The Atlantic Futures programme will foster sustainable innovation along the island’s Atlantic coast, from the western counties of Northern Ireland and Donegal down to the Shannon Estuary,” he said.
“Atlantic Futures will focus on addressing challenges experienced by these areas, such as retention of local talent, over-reliance on foreign direct investment, and a lack of indigenous small and medium-sized enterprise growth.
“This Atlantic corridor has high-performing economic sectors such as the MedTech, FinTech and Advanced Manufacturing, but it also faces problems including housing, and persistent loss of talent to other regions.
“Previous models of economic and social transition have focussed on metropolitan centres. Atlantic Futures differs in its focus. Our ambitious programme will take a multi-pronged approach to identifying obstacles to sustainable innovation in the region and ways to support its development.
“The programme focusses on how a complex, distributed, and multi-city region, such as the cross-border, west and north-west of Ireland, can successfully foster sustainable innovation.“
The North-South Research Programme is a collaborative scheme funded through the Government’s Shared Island Fund.
It is being administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
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