UNIVERSITIES IRELAND

Universities Ireland was set up in 2003 to promote co-operation and collaboration between the nine universities in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Its current chairman is Professor Richard Barnett, Vice-Chancellor of University of Ulster, and its secretariat is provided by the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh.

Among its recent initiatives have been: the establishment of the Irish-African Partnership for Research Capacity Building, which brings together the nine Irish universities with universities in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda to develop a coordinated approach to research capacity building in health and education in order to make a contribution to the reduction of poverty in Africa; the North-South Postgraduate Scholarships Scheme (in partnership with the IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council) which provides annual scholarships – half of them in subjects of interest to business – to allow students to undertake postgraduate studies in the other Irish jurisdiction; and the Scholars at Risk: Ireland Section, which provides grants for Irish universities to host scholars who are persecuted in their own countries (in partnership with the international Scholars at Risk network, based in New York).

INTERTRADEIRELAND

InterTradeIreland is the only organisation which has been given responsibility by both Governments to boost North/South economic co-operation to the mutual benefit of Northern Ireland and Ireland. By encouraging better use of our collective resources we help to expedite trade and business growth across the island; create an environment to make it easier to do business and increase the competitiveness of individual companies and the two economies in the global marketplace.

Our programmes offer companies practical advice and support in targeting new cross-border business opportunities, sharing expertise to develop new products and processes, and advising high growth companies on attracting equity investment.

Our research identifies barriers which prevent companies doing business across the island and restricts their growth. It identifies solutions to obstacles in areas like infrastructure, planning, transport, energy, skills, regulatory and fiscal issues and makes recommendations to Government on how they can be overcome.

We bring together networks of companies to help them to become more profitable and competitive through joint marketing, skill-sharing, product or process development, meeting supply needs or co-production opportunities.

In addition InterTradeIreland supports viable business initiatives/projects in cases where the promoter has neither the necessary financial resources to advance the project nor access to same from other sources but where the project offers a credible contribution to the achievement of InterTradeIreland objectives as defined in its current Corporate and Operating Plans. Support

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will be in the form of financial assistance.

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