Centre for Cross Border Cooperation

07/09/2026

Ciara King and Una McCabe from Ohk Energy will be presenting at our annual conference next week on "Qualification Recognition - A barrier to cross-border trade and employment".

Ciara is Ohk Energy's Director of HR, Recruitment and Training and has a strong record of providing and delivering traineeships, apprenticeships, undergraduate degree programmes and certified training to the wider workforce.

She is a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Ambassador and in 2021 received the Princess Royal Training Award.

Ciara has been involved in the community and voluntary sector for the past 20 years and is committed to helping people advance their skillset, and progress their careers within the construction industry.

Una recently joined the company as Training and Education Manager.

She is a highly-experienced leader in skills development, mentoring, workforce training and social policy - and her career has spanned both sides of the border.

As the creator of the award-winning MEGA- Manufacturing & Engineering Growth & Advancement Mentoring Programme, Una has played a pivotal role in transforming mentoring and talent development within the engineering sector.

She is passionate about collaboration and innovation, and is committed to advancing cross-border approaches to skills development.

📆 Thursday 17 September
🕖 Breakfast from 8am, conference from 9.15am
📍 Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort, Dundalk

Join us: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/centre-for-cross-border-cooperations-conference-2026-tickets-1991543405938

07/09/2026

04/09/2026

Cross-Border Collaboration to Activate the Skills Ecosystem (C-CASE)

We're delighted to have the support of C-CASE at our annual conference this month.

Damian Duffy, Principal and Chief Executive at Belfast Met, will discuss the project which involves partners Ulster University, SOLAS - https://www.solas.ie/, the Confederation of British Industry and Staffline Recruitment Ireland/Staffline Workforce Solutions.

Damian has led complex reform programmes across a range of areas including skills, EU integration, civil service reform and regional economic development.

The PEACEPLUS-funded C-CASE project brings together education, business, government and skills leaders across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to build a stronger, more-connected all-island skills network.

The NI Skills Council, the National Skills Council in Ireland, the Department for the Economy NI and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are also involved.

The project aims to break down barriers to education, training and employment, making it easier for people to access opportunities and move across borders for work.

Events and seminars will be arranged on future skills needs, digital and green skills, inclusive labour markets, education innovation and cross-border working opportunities.

📆 Thursday 17 September
🕖 Breakfast from 8am, conference from 9.15am
📍 Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort, Dundalk

Join us: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/centre-for-cross-border-cooperations-conference-2026-tickets-1991543405938

04/09/2026

03/09/2026

Talking talent

Prof John Doyle is Vice President for Research in DCU with 30 years’ experience researching Northern Ireland, international conflict and peace processes, and the consequences of Brexit.

He is also the University's Professor of Politics.

John is commissioning editor for The Royal Irish Academy-University of Notre Dame Dublin collaboration, ARINS.

It has produced a series of peer-reviewed research articles, which compare the two parts of the island in a range of areas from economics to education, health and culture, while also looking to the future of the island.

John’s latest book will be published in Autumn 2026.

He will be a speaker on the "Creating talent – the supply side" panel at the conference.

📆 Thursday 17 September
🕖 Breakfast from 8am, conference from 9.15am
📍 Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort, Dundalk

Join us: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/centre-for-cross-border-cooperations-conference-2026-tickets-1991543405938

03/09/2026

Secretary of State Chris Bryant and Minister Sarah Owen MP Visit Holywell Trust

PRESS RELEASE: 25 August 2026

Secretary of State Chris Bryant and Minister for Northern Ireland Sarah Owen MP met with
community and voluntary leaders at Holywell Trust today to discuss the challenges and
opportunities facing the Northwest region.
The meeting included representatives from several organisations:

Lisa Clements, Facilities and Finance Manager, Holywell Trust
Sara Duddy, Programme Manager, Holywell Trust
Barney McGuigan, Leader, REACH Across
Myra McAuliffe, Project Co-ordinator Changemakers Donegal, Inishowen
Development Partnership
Shauna McClenaghan, Joint CEO, Inishowen Development Partnership
Kerona McDowell, Finance and Administration Officer, Holywell Trust
Ciara O’Connor Pozo, Community Engagement Officer, The Playhouse
Kevin Murphy, CEO, The Playhouse
Lyn Moffett, Chair, The Junction

Speaking following the meeting, Sara Duddy, Programme Manager at Holywell Trust
said:
“We welcomed the chance to showcase the essential work of the Northwest’s community
and voluntary sector, who continue to provide essential innovative programmes and services
despite growing funding pressures.
A number of key challenges were also
highlighted including decades of under investment in the northwest, our peripherality from the seats of power in Stormont, London and Dublin, and the ongoing impact of the conflict resulting in a society that is still largely divided.
Despite the range of challenges, we impressed on Mr Bryant and Ms Owen that our city is
home to talented, resilient, and passionate people, whose potential requires greater
investment and opportunity to be fully realised.
It was also an opportunity to show the power of partnership working. We emphasised the
necessity of stronger cross-border integration and collaboration to effectively serve the entire
Northwest. We also presented Mr. Bryant and Ms. Owen with a copy of our Future
Relationship Conversations Summary Report, which provides research-backed evidence for
this need.
The legacy of the conflict was also highlighted as a fundamental issue. While we cautiously
welcome the commitment by the Labour government to work with the Irish government to finally deal with legacy cases in a way that may finally deliver answers and justice for
families, we have asked the Secretary of State to do this urgently as people are getting older
and victims and survivors have already waited too long.
We reminded him of the commitment by the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to the
Hillsborough families, and that in March this year Burnham told the Alliance party conference
“It is too easy for the power-that-be to write their own rules and cover up.
” We asked that the same approach be taken to deliver answers to families affected by the conflict, finally delivering a human rights compliant way to deal with the past.
We were proud to highlight the importance of Holywell’s work in facilitating challenging
discussions on sensitive issues, including the constitutional future question. There is a
legitimate concern that if handled wrong we could see a return to violence and this must be avoided.'

Photo: NIO

02/09/2026

“Creating, strengthening and retaining talent on the island of Ireland”

We're delighted to have the support of InterTradeIreland at our annual conference on Thursday 17 September - and its Strategy and Policy Manager Siobhán Fearon will moderate panel 3 on attracting, nurturing and retaining talent.

At InterTradeIreland, Siobhán engages with key stakeholders to identify opportunities for cross-border collaboration, and for leading the organisation's policy agenda in alignment with the economic priorities of both governments.

She will bring her experience as a project manager, facilitator and trainer to explore how employers attract the talent they need to operate successfully, and how they develop and retain their employees.

Committed to collaborative working, diplomacy and communication, Siobhán's has worked in senior roles in the community and voluntary sector, local government and further education.

📆 Thursday 17 September
🕖 Breakfast from 8am, conference from 9.15am
📍 Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort, Dundalk

Join us: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/centre-for-cross-border-cooperations-conference-2026-tickets-1991543405938

01/09/2026

Guest interview - Shane Kelly

Aidan Campbell, the Centre's Research Programme Development Manager, interviews Shane about the work of the Border Region Manufacturing Cluster (BORMAC).

Its members are private manufacturing businesses, academic institutes, and government agencies.

💻 Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqs5eHMr2XA

Atlantic Technological University ~ Enterprise Ireland ~ InterTradeIreland ~ MEGA- Manufacturing & Engineering Growth & Advancement ~ Department for the Economy NI

Aidan Campbell (the Centre's Research Programme Development Manager...

01/09/2026

The 24th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species is in full swing! We're thrilled to coordinate a platform that brings researchers, policymakers, educators, and other key partners together to protect natural spaces and communities from the impacts of aquatic invasive species.

Queen's University Belfast

31/08/2026

Conference co-headline sponsor: North West Tertiary Education Cluster

We're delighted to have the support of NWTEC at next month's conference.

Paul Hannigan, Vice President for Cross Border Engagement and Head of College at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal, said: "The North West Tertiary Education Cluster is a strategic alliance of all four publicly funded tertiary educational providers in the North West City Region, comprising Atlantic Technological University, Ulster University, Donegal Education and Training Board and North West Regional College.

"It provides the full range of educational services including advanced skills training, cutting-edge innovation supports for enterprise, and internationally-recognised high-quality research. The Cluster has three core growth pillars of smart growth, sustainable growth and inclusive growth.

"NWTEC was established via the North West Strategic Growth Partnership and is focused on supporting the development of the North West City Region which comprises Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council."

Paul and Dr Billy Bennett, Registrar and Chief Academic Officer at Atlantic Technological University, will address delegates at the conference.

Read more about the North West Tertiary Regional Cluster (ATU, Ulster University, North West Regional College & Donegal ETB) at https://mynwtec.com/

Join us on 17 September: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/centre-for-cross-border-cooperations-conference-2026-tickets-1991543405938