Applied Research Programme

Applied Research Programme

NorDubCo is currently engaged in a number of research projects. These projects were identified as part of the analysis underpinning 2010-2012 Strategic Plan. 

In progress:

On behalf of the Eco-Innovation Observatory, NorDubCo is currently drafting an Eco-Innovation Country Profile for Ireland 2011 to reflect current eco-innovation developments, related policy, drivers and barriers.  The final document once completed will be accessible from the EIO website and serve as an information source. The Eco-Innovation Observatory is a three year project financed by the European Commission.  The project provides a platform for the collation and analysis of data relating the eco-innovation activities across the European Union.  The Observatory provides a vital source of information to companies, investors and innovation service providers while also informing policy decisions at both national and international level.  Work collated through the project also directly informs EU initiatives such as the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) and Europe INNOVA.  

The primary objective of An analysis of the impact of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) on North Dublin is to provide an analysis detailing, to the appropriate stakeholders in the region, the potential impacts of the government’s decision to establish the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) on ongoing and proposed developments in the region. An interim report has been submitted to the project’s stakeholders and it is planned to publish the findings in January 2012. 

Recently completed: 

An analysis of the impact of infrastructure development on businesses in North Dublin is analyzing the potential business impacts of ongoing and proposed infrastructure developments in the region. A “significant” impact on business includes situations where the proposal will, or is likely to produce the following effects:

• Add significantly to business costs, directly and indirectly;
• Place businesses in the region at a competitive disadvantage with local, regional, national and international competitors;
• Alter the way the activities of a business, or group of businesses are undertaken;
• Affect a significant number of businesses;
• Target a proportionately large number of businesses within a particular industry.

Airport Regions E- learning Academy (AIREA) is an international consortium of Fingal County Council, NorDubCo/Dublin City University, Gothenburg Regional Authority (Sweden), El Prat Municipal Authority (Catalonia), Tallinn City Council (Estonia) and the Airport Regions Conference (ARC). AIREA is working to create an e-learning academy that gives students the chance for life-long learning by accessing best-practice learning models in a culturally harmonized and dynamic on-line environment. The Irish component of the project (Fingal County Council, Dublin City University and NorDubCo) is working with the Gothenburg Regional Authority to develop the e-learning platform, its pedagogical methods and teaching culture. The www.airea.org website provides a useful introduction to the project and the partners. 

The Real Cost of Applying for Public Funding project examined the resource implications facing many community-based organisations when applying for public funds through the government managed programmes like the Dormant Accounts Fund, the Community Services Programme, Community Support for Older People, Programme of Grants for Locally-Based Community and Voluntary Organisations or funding available through local childcare initiatives. The project team recently submitted a draft report to the NorDubCo Management Committee and the final document is currently being prepared for publication.

The North Dublin Industrial Skills and Employment Analysis 2008-2020 examined:

• The likely labour and skills requirements of industry in the region.
• The potential educational, training, research and technology requirements of industry in the region.
• The infrastructural, siting, public services and land requirements of industry in the region.

The project’s steering committee was composed of Professor David Jacobson (DCU), Dr. Declan Raftery (DCU), Kieran Rose (Dublin City Council), Ann Marie Farrelly (Fingal County Council) and Dr. Matthias Borscheid (Northside Partnership). The research team were John O’Byrne and Dr. Chris van Egeraat from the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis at NUI-Maynooth. 

The Cultural Needs of Economic Migrants in North Dublin project was a joint Fingal County Council, NorDubCo and DCU research project. The project assessed the cultural needs of economic migrants in the region and the measures deemed necessary to meet the identified requirements.

CSR4U was devised to mainstream the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Responsible Enterprise among Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of the project is to raise awareness of CSR among SMEs throughout Ireland. The project commenced in July 2006, with the first year consisting of a pilot phase focusing on North Dublin. This included nine one-day workshops focusing on the following topics: 

• Environment.
Workforce Diversity;
• Older Employees;
• People with Disabilities in the workplace;
• Socially exclusion and the SME;
• Work-life balance;
• Local Communities and the SME;
• CSR in the supply chain;
• Using CSR to enhance your brand.

Phase two of the project involved the organisation of a series of regional seminars organised in conjunction with the County Enterprise Board Network. The seminars were held in Cork, Limerick, Sligo, Athlone, Dundalk and Waterford. The project concluded with a national conference held in the Castleknock Hotel and Country Club on Tuesday May 13th 2008. The project’s website www.csr4u.org provides a more detailed discussion of the various components of the project. 

An Assessment of Enterprise Space in North Dublin was completed in March 2008. The overall aim of the research project was to determine the need for enterprise space in North Dublin. In this context, the project objectives were to:

• Carry out a review of the existing enterprise space available in the region;
• Develop recommendations on best practice in building and developing an enterprise centre;
• Examine the current supply of and demand for enterprise space;
• Determine the future need for enterprise space.

The report was launched in April 2008. 

The Attitudes to Heritage in Fingal project was a joint NorDubCo, DCU and Fingal County Council research project. The project aimed to survey and identify community attitudes and needs in relation to heritage in County Fingal. In addition, the research identified heritage services needed in the community. It also sought to answer the question ‘how the county can better market heritage to family groups and to new communities?’ The report was launched in March 2008.