About NorDubCo

NorDubCo, our full name is the North Dublin Development Coalition, was established in 1996 by the Ballymun Partnership, Finglas Cabra Partnership, Northside Partnership, Dublin City University, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council to promote the economic and social development of the North Dublin region. Each of the founding members is represented on the Management Committee of NorDubCo. Since our establishment we have striven to provide a service to our stakeholders and the communities in the North Dublin region.

The motive force behind our establishment was the belief that local government, local development agencies, the local university and local communities working together could make a difference to the region.

At the time very specific set of challenges faced the region and NorDubCo was configured to address those challenges. The recent period of prolonged economic growth has changed many of the issues facing the region. In some cases, they are no longer problematic. In others, economic growth has created a completely new set of issues to be addressed by the members of NorDubCo.

Throughout this period, NorDubCo has worked to ensure that sustainable economic, social and civic development takes place in the region. As part of this we have worked to create a positive vision for community and working life in the region, a vision that sought to embrace all of the region’s communities.

In operationalizing this vision, NorDubCo’s work had three distinct aims:

• To develop a more inclusive policy debate within the region.
• To promote new thinking to influence the economic, social and civic environment.
• To enhance the effectiveness of NorDubCo.

As part of this process, we have worked with representatives from the business community, local government, the local development sector, public representatives (both local and national), education establishments (secondary, further and higher), the media, state and semi-state institutions and other local organisations. The development of these relationships allowed NorDubCo to participate in a broad range of policy discussions and encourage the various stakeholders to engage in the strategic development of the region.

Since the formulation of the 2003-2006 Strategic Plan (Land, Labour and Learning – Promoting Knowledge Based Development in North Dublin), the institutional and policy context in which NorDubCo operates has changed considerably. As noted above, the changes the prolonged period of economic growth have been considerable. However, given the way in which NorDubCo works, the changes in institutional culture and policy are of equal relevance. In this regard it is worth noting the changes brought about, or likely to be brought about by:

• The National Development Plan 2007-2013.
• The local development cohesion process.
• The Dublin City Development Plan 2005-2011.
• The Fingal County Development Plan 2005-2011.
• The Fingal Economic Strategy 2006-2011.
• DCU’s Strategic Plan 2006-2008.
• The area partnerships’ strategic plans 2007-2013.

Given this new environment, the 2007-2009 Strategic Plan proposed a role for NorDubCo that might best be described as a regional ‘think and do’ tank. We use this term to distinguish ourselves from a more conventional ‘think tank’ in that our primary role is not just to reflect on the variety of challenges and issues facing the region and suggest policy responses, NorDubCo works best by doing. We will always strive to be an organisation capable of constructive reflection and the production of cutting edge research and policy proposals.

However, our role in the region demands that we develop and implement projects that provide benefit to our stakeholders and the wider region. Whether it is through developing pioneering labour market initiatives, e.g. the Accelerated Skills Development Programme, or managing multi-partner regional research projects, e.g. the North Dublin Economic Clusters project, NorDubCo must combine an ability to ‘think’ in the broadest sense about the issues facing the region and ‘do’. In addition, NorDubCo will work to remain a neutral forum for discussion and decision-making between the region’s key stakeholders, a nexus for negotiated governance.

North Dublin plays a significant role both in the metropolitan and national economy. It sits astride a potentially powerful east coast economic corridor, and is crossed by some of the most important transports routes on the island. It also contains a very substantial educational and research infrastructure. In addition, it is home to Dublin Airport. Many of Ireland’s most innovative enterprises are located in or adjacent to the region.

Vision
Our 2007-2009 Strategic Plan (NorDubCo – A Nexus for Negotiated Governance) envisions North Dublin as of a region where communities, business and public agencies create the conditions for success. North Dublin will be:

• A region with well connected and inclusive communities.
• A region with an adaptable and appropriately skilled workforce.
• A technologically advanced and innovative region.
• A region where all the stakeholders and agencies work effectively together to a common agenda to deliver shared priorities.

Challenge
We believe that the fundamental challenge facing North Dublin is to overcome barriers to shared decision–making. This will require a climate conducive to negotiated governance, i.e. the involvement of variable networks of communities and stakeholders in the relevant policy formulation and decision-making processes.

Facing up to this challenge involves addressing the following issues:

• Building and sustaining a social and civic environment facilitative and supportive of such a process.
• Developing an inclusive decision-making process that is responsive to both long-term and immediate needs of communities and the infrastructural and developmental requirements of enterprise in the region.
• Developing a regional learning system capable of encouraging and nurturing learning and knowledge creation and meeting the personal and career development needs of learners within North Dublin.

The Strategy
To realise the vision, the strategic plan proposes four interlinking themes and related actions:

Theme 1 - Enterprise and Innovation
North Dublin must stimulate a higher birth rate of new firm formation, encourage innovation and create an environment where a bigger proportion of new firms both survive and grow, and maintain their presence in North Dublin.

Theme 2 -Skills and Learning
Overall, educational attainment levels in North Dublin are lower than the national average, and in particular areas they approach the lowest in the country. In addition to the high rate of drop out, the type of senior cycle programme being taken by a significant number of students in the region has changed dramatically in recent years.

Theme 3 - Community Cohesion
Strong and vibrant communities exist across North Dublin. Other communities suffer from low economic activity rates and the effects of social and economic decline. This is apparent in both traditional urban areas and the newly developed areas adjacent to these, and affects both young and old, Irish-born and foreign national alike.

Theme 4 - Communications and Infrastructure
Bringing about the required changes in productivity, skills levels and competitiveness in North Dublin will require significant improvements in communications and infrastructure.

Implementing the strategy
NorDubCo works with representatives from the business community, local government, the local development sector, politics, the civil service, education establishments, the media, state and semi-state institutions and other local organisations to deliver the agreed actions.

These links allow NorDubCo to participate in a broad range of policy discussions, encourage the various stakeholders to engage in the strategic development of the region, and implement our strategic plan.

In addition to its core staff , NorDubCo operates an internship programme and at any one time will have one or two interns working on specific research projects.

Legal Structure
NorDubCo has been incorporated as a company limited by guarantee with no share capital.

Funding
The founding organisations of NorDubCo have committed themselves to provide the core funding for the organisation. NorDubCo also seeks funding from the local and national government, the European Union and other bodies for particular projects.