The DS3 Project was recently launched in the Cavan Digital Hub and has been supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The Project received funding of €3.27 million under the Smart Towns and Villages Investment Area for a strategic investment in digital services, digital supports, and digital spaces to modernise, grow, and future-proof challenged towns and villages in the area known as the Central Border Region.
Led by ICBAN, with partners Cavan, Leitrim, Mid Ulster and Sligo Councils, Southern Regional College and Ulster University, and four associate partners: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Donegal and Monaghan Councils, and the Western Development Commission, the project is an exciting opportunity for businesses and communities in the Central Border Region to enhance their digital skills. The project aims to enhance regional regeneration, through increasing the competitiveness of participating businesses, and the confidence of those in our communities to use the latest technologies.
The launch event was attended by project partners and key stakeholders, including representatives from the Accountable Departments and the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, and Minister of State with Responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer TD, welcomed the launch.
Minister Calleary said: “I wish to convey my sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the advancement of the DS3 project. This initiative has recently obtained funding approval amounting to nearly €3.3 million from the European Union’s PEACEPLUS programme. The successful execution of this initiative will yield long-standing benefits for the region. I am pleased that my Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, in collaboration with the Special EU Programmes Body and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, will extend support for this exceptional project.”
Minister Buttimer added: “By distributing this essential funding, the Smart Towns and Villages Investment Area will provide greater access to telecommunications and deliver improved social and economic development in rural towns and villages, creating more desirable places for people to live and work.”
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir MLA welcomed the project and said, “The DS3 Project goes beyond simply creating new physical spaces or delivering digital skills training. It signifies a meaningful advancement in our collective commitment to fostering digitally inclusive and better-connected cross-border communities — where technology serves as a bridge to opportunity, inclusion, and sustainable development. I am thrilled that my Department is working in partnership with the DRCDG and the SEUPB to provide funding for this under the PEACEPLUS programme contributing to building strong and resilient rural communities where people can live, work, be active and prosper in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.”
The SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “Promoting socio-economic inclusion is crucial within the PEACEPLUS programme and our Smart Towns and Villages investment area is designed to target and address specific needs using modern technology.
By harnessing digital innovation, the DS3 project will empower communities to embrace new technologies, enhance service delivery, and foster socio-economic inclusion.
Through strategic investment in digital infrastructure, this initiative will help build resilient communities, enabling people to work, learn, and connect in ways that strengthen local economies and community wellbeing.”
Councillor Eugene McConnell, ICBAN Chair said, “The DS3 Project is a unique and ambitious new approach using cross-border collaboration and co-operation, to help create more connected and sustainable communities through the adoption of ICT. The project seeks to address lower level of skills and engagement with ICT solutions within rural communities, and to foster a culture of innovation and skills development by the business sector, civic society, and individuals.”
