€3m in education and innovation in Cavan-Monaghan

Just short of €3 million is to be invested in three local projects aimed at enhancing education and innovation in the Border region.

Of the funding announced under the new Border Enterprise Development Fund, launched last January as part of a stimulus package for the region, over €2 million will be allocated to building a Training Centre of Excellence for Supply Chain, Logistics and Procurement here in Cavan.

To be overseen and managed by Cavan Monaghan ETB, the new centre will be a driving force in addressing skills development around robotics, 3D Printing, Internet of Things and Blockchain Technology, Big Data Analytics, as well as Drone Technology.

The Centre of Excellence will be located Cavan Monaghan ETB’s Cavan Campus on the Dublin Road and will incorporate eight Industry 4.0 Training Labs and Workshops; four classrooms; an administration office; a boardroom and conference facility; three meeting rooms; a utilities room; and a reception area.

The new 20,000 square feet centre of excellence is to be developed in line with project partners that include Louth Meath ETB, the University of Ulster, Siemens, Accenture, McVitty Transport, Cavan Digital Hub, the Irish Manufacturing Research Centre and more.

The announcement will be made by Heather Humphreys, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and Fine Gael TD for Cavan Monaghan when she launches the funding at an event in Sligo later this morning.

She visit Cavan later this afternoon also to meet with relevant stakeholders about the proposed investment under the new Border Enterprise Development Fund.

This is the first time that her Department has provided targeted, ringfenced funding to a specific region, which represents a strong statement of commitment to Monaghan, Cavan and the wider border area.

Minister Humphreys said of the funding is designed to drive economic activity in the region as well as ensure that businesses have additional support in mitigating the impact of Brexit.

However, she stated too that the funding is “even more important now” in the context of COVID-19, “which has posed additional challenges for businesses.”

One project based in Cavan and two projects based in Monaghan were successful in applying for funding, however she believes that all three projects will benefit both counties.

In neighbouring Co Monaghan meanwhile €609,584 will be use to establish Digital Innovation Hub in Monaghan town.

The Hub will drive cluster activity in the agrifood and engineering sectors, which make up 47.2% of the working population in the region.

It will also host educational programmes to upskill staff from companies in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Machine Learning and Edge Computing.

The Hub, it's envisaged, will have the capacity to host up to 10 enterprises on its six-monthly rolling programmes, assisting between 40 and 60 companies over the three-year period of the project.

The Hub will be run in partnership by Monaghan County Council, Enterprising Monaghan, Combilift, Monaghan Mushrooms, the Irish High-Performance Computing Authority, Monaghan Institute, The Irish Centre for Data Analytics, Cavan County Council, Intel, Microsoft and more.

The third of the investments, worth €312,320, is to set up a new wood and furniture network in Scotstown. It will be the first ever regional network of the Irish Wood and Furniture Manufacturing Network.

“There is a significant concentration of the furniture and wood businesses in the border region,” say Minister Humphreys. This includes around 101 manufacturers and 20 subcontractors, with 41 manufacturers in Monaghan.

It is expected that 50 new jobs will be created through the project. It will also sustain the existing jobs in the sector.

“The aim of the network is to sustain and grow the wood, furniture, joinery and associated industries in the region,” said Minister Humphreys.

“Many of the new jobs will be highly-skilled, and will bring industry renewal to the region as businesses grow using both traditional skills and digital skills and robotics.”

The project will work directly with the companies to mitigate the impact of market challenges facing the industry, including COVID-19 and Brexit. It will also grow the competitiveness of the industry in the border region, through collaborative initiatives in enterprise building, productivity improvement and innovation, and focus too on the transition to a low carbon economy, as well as sustainable design methods.

Project partners include Monaghan Integrated Development Company, Monaghan Institute, Cavan Monaghan ETB, the Regional Skills Fora in the North East and North West, Monaghan County Council, Leitrim County Council and the Higher Education Institute Network.”

The Minister concluded by saying that research shows the Border region is most exposed to the impact of Brexit, and it goes without saying that the challenges posed by Brexit are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That’s why I want to ensure that businesses in the region are supported by Government in responding to the challenges and uncertainties which lie ahead.

“This is the first time my Department has provided targeted, ringfenced funding to a specific region which represents a strong statement of our commitment to the border area, including Monaghan and Cavan.

“Through this support, I want to make businesses in the region more resilient, more innovative and more competitive, so that we can stimulate enhanced economic activity in the region.

“I would like to warmly congratulate all those involved in the successful local projects today. These projects mark an exciting new chapter for Monaghan, Cavan and the region, and I look forward to monitoring their progress.”