The Digital Skills, Spaces and Services (DS3) Smart Towns and Villages Project has been officially launched at the Cavan Digital Hub.
Supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the initiative has secured €3.27 million in funding under the Smart Towns and Villages Investment Area. This strategic investment will deliver new digital services, supports, and spaces to help modernise, grow, and future-proof towns and villages across the Central Border Region.
Involving Ulster University, the project brings together a strong partnership of local authorities and educational institutions, including Cavan, Leitrim, Mid Ulster, and Sligo County Councils and Southern Regional College, and led by Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Ltd. Four associate partners - Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Donegal County Council, Monaghan County Council, and the Western Development Commission - are also contributing to this cross-border collaboration.
The DS3 Project represents an exciting opportunity for local businesses and communities to strengthen their digital capabilities. By enhancing digital skills, improving access to technology, and supporting innovation, the project aims to drive regional regeneration - boosting business competitiveness and building community confidence in using emerging digital tools.
Building on previous research in the fields of human centred computing, planning/place-making and community resilience, from across Ulster University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, the team consists of the following:
Ulster University colleagues are delivering on the roll out of a mobile multimedia digi-lab, the co-creation of a digital platforms enabling 14 towns and villages across the Central Border Region to become smarter through the development and promotion of new products and services by enhancing digital literacy and innovation.
Ulster University is leading with DS3’s aim to future-proof places across the Central Border Region by developing three Smart Place Frameworks that support communities in developing long-term digital capacity and resilience across the Central Border Region. Taking a place-based and inclusive co-design approach and building on the activities and learning in other project work packages, these frameworks will enable towns and villages to harness digital and ICT solutions in ways that amplify their unique strengths, improve local service delivery, and foster sustainable economic and social regeneration.
The official launch event brought together project partners and key stakeholders, including representatives from the Accountable Departments and the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), marking the beginning of a transformative journey for the Central Border Region’s digital future.
Professor Joan Condell, Professor of Intelligent Technologies, said:
“DS3 will empower 14 civil and business communities to adopt new technologies so they can become more connected and sustainable - through fostering a culture of innovation people will be enabled to work, learn, and connect to strengthen their local economies and community wellbeing.
Mobile Labs on both sides of the border will work on a collaborative basis to provide access for SMEs, community organisations, individuals, enterprise/innovation hubs and schools to digital fabrication technologies, multi-media technologies and design thinking methodologies. Digital champions will work on a cross-border basis to create awareness and appetite for digital solutions adoption.”
Dr Gavan Rafferty, Lecturer in Spatial Planning and Development, said:
“The DS3 Project marks a major step forward in future-proofing communities across the Central Border Region on the island of Ireland. Through inclusive, place-based design and harnessing the power of collaboration between academia, local authorities, and communities, the project will deliver practical digital solutions – from skills development to smart place frameworks – that support sustainable economic and social regeneration across the Central Border Region.”
Photo caption:
Photographed are some of the Ulster University ‘DS3’ Smart Towns and Villages Project team members with representatives from the DS3 Project lead partner, Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN).
Front row: Dr Linda McElduff, Lecturer in Planning; Councillor Eugene McConnell, Mid Ulster District Council and Chair of ICBAN; Julie Hanna, Project Manager, ICBAN.
Back row: Dr Kurtis Ashcroft, Research Assistant, and Dr Gavan Rafferty, Lecturer in Spatial Planning and Development.
