The aim of the E-Data project is to support innovation and resilience in companies facing the particular challenges of working in Ireland’s border regions.
Ulster University will lead a new €6.7m digital transformation project to support SMEs across Ireland’s border regions in building technical expertise and skills.
The E-Data (Enterprise Digitalisation and Transformation Alliance) project – designed with a grassroots approach, the team says – will provide guidance and implementation in key technological areas including artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, automation and internet of things to enable SMEs to improve their processes and build sustainable and resilient organisations.
In collaboration with Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Sustainable NI, Manufacturing NI and Innovate NI, Ulster University plans to help businesses integrate new technologies, reduce their energy use and carbon emissions, and create new cross-border business networks and collaborations.
“[This project] directly addresses the unique and pressing digital transformation challenges faced by SMEs in Ireland’s border regions,” said Dr Dermot Kerr, E-Data project lead at Ulster University.
“Building on our extensive experience, this project allows us to deepen our commitment [to the region] by providing tailored expertise and hands-on support to ensure these vital businesses can fully embrace digitalisation, drive innovation and secure their future competitiveness.”
The project is funded by PeacePlus, a programme designed to support peace and prosperity in the North of Ireland, with backing from the EU and the governments of the UK and Ireland, and the Northern Ireland administration.
Running from 2021 to 2027, PeacePlus is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body and has a budget of €1.14bn to address social and economic challenges in Ireland’s border regions.
PeacePlus tackles health challenges
Earlier this month, Catalyst science and tech hub – which describes itself as the “epicentre of innovation in Northern Ireland” – announced a four-year collaborative AI project called OneHealth, with €9.85m funding from PeacePlus.
OneHealth is a cross-border life and health sciences project that aims to use AI to tackle pressing public health and agrifood challenges in the border regions, including issues such as fragmented health data and limited collaboration between research bodies and SMEs.
In partnership with ATU, Queen’s University Belfast, Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland, Tyndall National Institute Cork and University of Galway, the project aims to provide mentorship to 20 SMEs through dedicated accelerator programmes and deliver 12 cross-border research and innovation projects, with the aim of producing joint publications and patents for innovations.
“OneHealth is a game-changer, uniting unrivalled academic and industry expertise from across the island of Ireland to address the greatest challenges in human health,” said Prof Mark Lawler, associate pro-vice-chancellor and professor of digital health at Queen’s University Belfast.
“We will focus on identifying and solving complex challenges that are particular to the region, with a key focus on human, environmental and animal health, reflecting our faculty’s focus on health equity, personal health improvement, and population health and wellbeing.”
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