Centre for Cross Border Cooperation

Promotional flyer, with Dr O'Sullivan's photograph and the CCBC logo, which reads - 2025 Annual Conference | Thursday 18 September | Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk | The All-Island Labour Market: Challenges and Opportunities | Dr Rory O'Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, DCU | Rory’s interests are Tertiary education, Skills development policy, Work integrated learning and Inclusive pathways from education to work | ‘Early Bird’ tickets on sale | Co-headline sponsor: Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor | www.crossborder.ie

@roryosullivan23.bsky.social, Adjunct Professor in the Further Education and Training Research Centre and School of Policy and Practice at @dublincityuni.bsky.social,will be at our Annual Conference. He was appointed to the Higher Education Authority Board in 2023.
crossborder.ie/conferences/...

Policy action group led by Ulster University unveils £750,000 boost to tackle employment inequality..funding between £10,000 and £100,000 per project is available Phase 2 call invites cross-sector projects aimed at breaking down barriers to fair and inclusive work across Northern Ireland

EPIC Futures NI launches £750,000 Phase 2 funding to support innovative projects tackling employment barriers across Northern Ireland

Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor logo.

Our Annual Conference co-headline sponsor is Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor:

* 100 miles/155 km
* home to 2.2 million people
* 33% of the island’s population
* 125,000 businesses
* 38% of the island's total business base
* eight local authorities, two universities

crossborder.ie/conferences/...

Promotional flyer for Dr Caoimhe Archibald's involvement at our Annual Conference.

Dr ‪@caoimhearchibald.bsky.social, Economy Minister at @economy-ni.gov.uk, will be at our Annual Conference on 18 September. The Minister has first-hand experience of the All-Island Labour Market - as a Research Officer at
@teagasc.bsky.social. Early bird tickets: crossborder.ie/conferences/...

Theatre news: Five-year-long celebration of Brian Friel to launch in August FrielDays: A Homecoming to showcase Northern Irish playwright in lead up to centenary of his birth.

FrielDays: A Homecoming, a multi-year celebration of Brian Friel including 29 plays, is to launch in August from Arts Over Borders. My @britishtheatreguide.info news story: www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/five-ye...

UK government pulls funding for Irish peace and reconciliation project International Fund for Ireland helped lay groundwork for Good Friday Agreement

UK government pulls funding for Irish peace and reconciliation project

Trump and von der Leyen announce US-EU trade deal Agreement includes 15% baseline tariff for most EU exports to US after deal reached at Scotland crunch talks

EU US trade deal gets off to shaky comms start
Trump - pharma not in deal
VDL says it is,
Trump - steel still at 50%, VDL says quotas
Deal also divides NI and RoI - NI has 10% RoI has 15% tariff
VDL admitted tensions in room at start of meeting
Details below

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Photograph of Dr Cady Coleman at last year's CCBC annual conference. She is wearing her regulation NASA uniform.

Photograph of Pamela Arthurs (Chief Executive at East Border Region) and Ian Marshall (Head of Business Development and Policy, Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy, Queen's University Belfast) with delegates in the background.

Photograph of Hilary Reilly (Joint Secretary at the North South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat) and Roger Wilson (Chief Executive at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council).

Photograph of Colin Wrafter and Richard Hill (Joint Secretary at the North South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat).

We can't guarantee an astronaut at this year's CCBC Annual Conference but the line-up will be out of this world.

There will be speakers and panels exploring cross-border challenges and solutions.

For details of the programme, visit crossborder.ie/conferences/...

Save The Date Infographic of North West Digital Futures Conference 2025 held on 23 October 2025 at An DanLann, ATU Letterkenny. Registrations open Sep 2025!

🌐 NWest Digital Futures Conference 2025 🌐
📅 Save the Date: 23 Oct 2025
📍 An DanLann ATU Letterkenny
🔜 Registrations open Sep 2025!
📈 Explore digital trends & opportunities
🌍 Shape the future of the NW cross-border region.
🔗 More info: www.mynwtec.com
@ulsteruni.bsky.social @oflynnatu.bsky.social

Grant Making Highlights 24/25

💡 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒–𝟐𝟓

From 576 grants awarded, to nearly half a million beneficiaries supported. We couldn’t do it without our donors, partners, and community.

Thank you for helping us make a real difference across Northern Ireland. 💙

Annual conference: Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor, @intertradeireland.bsky.social, @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social are @dublincityuni.bsky.social are our first four sponsors.

🗓️ Thursday 18 September
🕗 8am
📌Dundalk

Plus, early bird tickets are on sale.🎫

crossborder.ie/conferences/...

#CCBCConf

Partnerships that Deliver!
In collaboration with 5 Technological Universities and DKIT, Technology Gateways streamlines company access to applied research and innovation accelerating technology transfer and industry impact.

#EUinmyregion 🇮🇪🇪🇺 #TechTransfer #AppliedResearch #IndustryCollab #Innovation

🧑‍🎓 Lifelong learning is key!

🌐 Have you seen our curated online Learning Hub in collaboration with the The Open University in Ireland yet?

⌨️ Check it our for tonnes of ABSOLUTLEY FREE online courses designed to support people working in our sector!

🔗 https://i.mtr.cool/yfkawgmjeq

NICVA welcomes the launch of both the NI Partnership Agreement & UK Civil Society Covenant - a major milestone for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

🔗 Read more: bit.ly/3UkrkKW

Visual note 1 of last year's conference by Leah O Donoghue.

Visual note 2 of last year's conference by Leah O Donoghue.

Hold the date: Thursday 18 September

Our annual conference will be in Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort in Dundalk.

The spotlight will be on the opportunities and challenges of the all-island labour market - crossborder.ie/news/groundb...

We'll be publishing details soon.

#research #conference

Home sought for massive knitted map of Ireland A huge wool map of Ireland, which took four years of knitting and crocheting to complete, is in search of a new home to go on public display.

Could you give this cross-border map a home?

www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MMQ...

@news.rte.ie @thejournal.ie

Great funding opportunity for women’s groups operating in a rural setting

Photograph of James with Mark and Lisa in the Centre's meeting room. In the background are three pull-up stands representing Universities Ireland, the Centre, and the Border People project.

Cross-border & career advice: James Hyde, a Year 11 pupil from Newtownhamilton High School, joined us on work experience recently. He learnt about our projects, discussed law with Floran (@unistra.fr), and attended the Mind The Gap report launch and a skills webinar. crossborder.ie/news/james-h...

Illustration of a hand holding a loud speaker with the words 'Your Opinion Matters' - all on a yellow background.

Today's to-do list:

* ask a friend to complete crossborder.ie/news/calling...

* make ice cubes

* get a hat and get ahead

#research #LocalGovernment #CommunitySupport #civicresponsibility #Opinionpoll #heatwave

Stock image of a group of people joining hands, with PEACEPLUS logo pictured in inset

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐒 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝟗𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 €𝟏.𝟏𝟒𝐛𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬. PEACEPLUS is a partnership between the EU, the UK Government, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive. Find out more here: tinyurl.com/4dx8y6py

Calling all civic society organisations and local authorities - The Centre for Cross Border Cooperation | CBS Share this page:  Calling all civic society organisations and local authorities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Civic society organisations and local authorities are invited to partic...

Friday's to-do list:

* complete the CCBC survey
* buy SPF 50 sun cream, a hat, water & ice lollipops
* triple check the weekend weather forecast

crossborder.ie/news/calling...

#research #communityengagement

New Common Charter supporter profile: @nirwn.bsky.social
Established in 2006, NIRWN's vision is ‘an equitable society where rural women are visible, influential and valued’. Read about the NIRWN Team, Women Breaking Barriers & Raise Your Voice in our latest newsletter - crossborder.ie/border-zine/

InterTradeIreland Re-launch Go-2-Tender Programme, Opening €21bn/£18bn Public Procurement Market to SMEs | InterTradeIreland InterTradeIreland this week announced the relaunch of the next phase of its acclaimed Go-2-Tender programme. This essential support initiative is designed to assist SMEs across the island of Ireland i...

The all-island procurement market is an estimated €21 bn/£18 bn, and social Enterprises & Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can get support in securing public sector contracts through the Go-2-Tender programme. The programme is useful for structuring and writing winning bids.

eu1.hubs.ly/H0lDrMd0

Photograph of eight people sitting around a wooden table - in the centre is a blank 'speech bubble'.

Our cross-border survey measures the extent to which the necessary conditions for North-South cooperation are being maintained, & how East-West relations are being safeguarded following the Brexit transition period.
crossborder.ie/news/calling...
@benrosher.bsky.social @anthonysoares.bsky.social

Photograph of Annmarie O’Kane (Border People Project Manager, Centre for Cross Border Cooperation), Colin McCabrey (Director of Trade, InterTradeIreland) and Maureen O’Reilly (Independent Economist) with Peter Burke TD (Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment) and Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA (Minister for the Economy).

Gearóid O'Sullivan (Head of Tax, Chartered Accountants Ireland), Peter Burke TD (Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment), Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA (Minister for the Economy) and Colin McCabrey (Director of Trade, InterTradeIreland).

InterTradeIreland convened a meeting with Peter Burke TD, Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Chartered Accountants Ireland & authors of research into the current conditions of the island of Ireland labour market. Annmarie O’Kane, Maureen O’Reilly, Rose Tierney & Gearóid O’Sullivan will be involved in plans.

Illustration of a hand holding a loud speaker with the words 'Your Opinion Matters' - all on a yellow background.

It's our 18th survey... we're calling all civic society organisations and local authorities to participate in our latest survey on the Conditions for North-South and East-West Cooperation.

Your views matter and the survey will only take five minutes to complete.

crossborder.ie/news/calling...

The infographic from https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpini/irelandandnorthernireland-ajointcensuspublication2021-2022/

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Central Statistics Office Ireland have released ‘Ireland and Northern Ireland - A joint census publication 2021-2022’. It includes demographics, language, health, unpaid care, employment, and commuting patterns.

www.cso.ie/en/releasesa...

This week Annmarie O'Kane (Border People Project Manager), Maureen O'Reilly (Economist) & Gillian Doherty (Accounting Technicians Ireland) discussed cross-border skills & qualifications, and the all-island labour market.

Watch again at youtube.com/watch?v=r-c0...

Some of Maureen's deck, below.

Overhead photograph of a woman sitting on a chair completing the Centre's survey on a laptop. The word SURVEY is included along with three ticks in red ink.

If you have an opinion, we want to hear from you!

Our quarterly survey on the necessary conditions for North-South cooperation as the Protocol/Windsor Framework is implemented, and relations between the island of Ireland & Great Britain, is open.

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

#research

Photograph of the event stage and access point.

Photograph of the event programme and the front cover of the report which reads: 'Mind The Gap: Supporting people with disabilities into employment, Summary Report - June 2005, by Mary Anne Webb'.

Photograph of Eoin Kenny who works at Mencap Northern Ireland.

Group discussion - photograph of three people on stage during the Mind The Gap research launch event.

We were at the NI Union of Supported Employment #MindtheGap All Ireland summit in Newry yesterday. Research was launched into supported employment for disabled people, North and South. Plus good practice examples, insights from stakeholders, and discussions on the recommendations. #SharedIsland