In close collaboration with BABLE, a spin-off from the German Fraunhofer Institute, specialized in Smart City solutions, EIPO has been asked to guide and support the implementation of the Triple Helix collaboration model in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
BABLE has been supporting the Belfast City Council and the whole Belfast Region City Deal Program Board in developing implementation roadmaps for a Smart District in the City Centre of Belfast and for a specific regional innovation scheme. While these programs focus on creating project proposals for actual implementation projects, the strategic setup of the regional innovation ecosystem with a focus on high-level governance also needed to be tackled. Given EIPO’s experience on Triple Helix governance and collaboration in innovation ecosystems, BABLE engaged EIPO to guide and support this process throughout this year.
The Belfast Region City Deal will see the UK Government invest £350 million into the Belfast Region over the next 15 years. This figure will be matched by the Northern Ireland Departments and a further co-investment of upwards of £150 million from Belfast Region City Deal partners. This investment will help strengthen the region’s business offer in growth sectors such as life and health sciences, the digital and creative industries, and advanced manufacturing. It will also support next generation digital capabilities, boost tourism and support the regeneration of our region, underpinned by infrastructure developments and investment in skills to connect people to jobs and services.
As a first step, the partner councils worked with city and region stakeholders, including politicians, the private sector, universities and colleges to complete a robust analysis of the competitive strengths, the key economic challenges facing the region – and what the most pressing needs are. This research has helped to shape the four pillars of Belfast ambitious proposition:
- Innovation and digital
- Boosting tourism
- Infrastructure
- Employability and skills
EIPO is proud to be partner of Belfast region in this ambitious journey and, in close cooperation with BABLE, will continue to support all stakeholders to work together in close harmony to achieve its goals.