€217m. investment programme for northern and western region

THE Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) has launched a six-year investment programme totalling €217 million in European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) for Ireland’s northern and western region.

At the launch, director of the NWRA, David Minton, said the funds for the 2021 to 2027 programme would build on previous funding that has improved almost every aspect of life in the region.

Funds will be spent on projects such as building the capacity of the new Atlantic Technological University to support regional research and innovation, supporting regional industry with enhanced financial supports through TU Gateways (Enterprise Ireland), and helping regional enterprises to pursue further commercialisation of products and services.

Mr. Minton said the regional programme submitted by the NWRA was a major investment in the region’s future.

He commented: “The EU has always been a major contributor to our economy. We are excited to be working with our government partners to deliver this significant investment, which underlines our ambition to be more competitive, more specialised, more urban and more green. It’s an investment in our young people, our talent, our educational institutions, and our towns.”

NWRA chairperson Councillor David Collins said: “This programme, with an enhanced co-funding rate from the European Union specifically targeted at the north and west, together with support from the government of Ireland, will focus on developing a smarter, more competitive region, creating a greener more energy-efficient region and supporting sustainable urban development in the region.”

The assembly is advocating for a sustained policy focus on the border and west to ensure long-term sustainable progress and economic inclusion.

Full details of the scheme are available online and will also include delivery of a regional smart hub network for research, training, innovation, commercialisation; underpinning the region’s existing enterprise ecosystem with training and innovation supports; working with SEAI to ensure households get deep energy retrofits; and addressing the high rate of derelict and vacant properties in the region.