Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ambition Magazine

FEATURE

Jerry Buttimer TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development, Charities and Rural Transport.

Martin Graham, Tourism NI.

Alan Lord, Irish Rail and Richard Knox, Translink.

investment to support trade and offshore renewable development; building all-island innovation clusters in sectors such as life sciences, fintech and clean energy, as well as strengthening tourism links. Conor Healy, CEO of Cork Chamber, said, “Cork is playing a central role in shaping Ireland’s economic future. We have many strengths in our region, and partnerships and collaboration enhance all of our opportunities. The Tri-Region agenda launch shows the ambition for growth across our regions. We face similar challenges and with joined up thinking and planning, our governments can unlock a more connected and prosperous island for all.” Suzanne Wylie, CEO of NI Chamber, said, “This agenda is about unlocking shared opportunity. By focusing on key priorities such as connectivity, skills and innovation, the Tri-Region Partnership creates the conditions for businesses to thrive and for our regions to compete successfully on a global stage.” Mary Rose Burke, CEO of Dublin Chamber, added, “The launch of this document gives fresh momentum to the Tri-Region Partnership and sets a clear course for progress ahead. It strengthens our collective voice and demonstrates our shared determination to secure the investment, connectivity and policy

Delegates visited The National Maritime College of Ireland.

support needed to ensure the island of Ireland remains a globally competitive and thriving place to do business.” Across the two-day programme hosted in Cork, delegates including senior figures from Invest NI, Translink, Belfast Harbour,

Queen’s University, Ulster University, HIRANI and Tourism Northern Ireland engaged in a series of sessions and site visits designed to connect the themes of connectivity, enterprise, tourism and innovation to real-world projects. Highlights included discussions with Irish Rail, Cork Airport and the Port of Cork on critical transport and maritime infrastructure, a focus on Cork’s Docklands development and insights from industry leaders including Qualcomm, Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, IDA Ireland and InterTradeIreland. The group also visited the National Maritime College of Ireland for presentations on offshore renewables and maritime skills development, enjoyed an evening reception and dinner showcasing Cork’s history and tourism offering with Minister Jerry Buttimer TD as special guest, and concluded with a morning session at University College Cork focused on innovation clusters, education and shared opportunities for skills development with input from Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA.

Kieran Donoghue, CEO, Invest NI, Patrick Doyle, IDA Ireland and Martin Robinson, InterTradeIreland were among the panellists.

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