News & Views

PEACEPLUS is a new funding programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. PEACEPLUS is the successor programme to both PEACE IV and INTERREG VA.

Read more about the overall programme here.

Call Detail

This call aims to support economic and social development using Information Communications Technology (ICT).

This objective will support economic and social development using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to deliver outcomes in target areas, particularly those of a rural nature, leading to the creation of a more cohesive, sustainable and environmentally responsible community. It will result in more citizens and communities accessing and utilising Information Communications Technology (ICT) to enhance social service delivery and economic development; and as such contribute to the creation of more a resilient, vibrant and prosperous Programme area.

The Smart Towns and Villages Programme will provide greater access to and awareness of telecommunications. An area-based approach will be adopted to the creation of Smart Towns and Villages. This proven model utilises a social innovation-led approach to maximise the potential of ICT to deliver improved and sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes in target areas; particularly those of a rural nature.

Activities funded

• Mobile digital hubs: The design and development of advanced mobile digital hubs, to ensure the widest possible opportunities for digital access for rural citizens and enterprises in particular;
• Mentoring programmes: The design and delivery of digital mentoring programmes to be delivered through the proposed mobile digital hubs in rural communities and businesses;
• Digital clusters: The development of digital clusters that can then develop opportunities to increase remote working and by so doing reduce the need for rural citizens to leave their communities and commute long distances to work; and
• Social enterprise / innovation-led projects: The development of social enterprise / innovation-led projects designed to apply advanced ICT to create new models of social service and economic development;
• Static digital hubs through the renovation of existing assets: The development of projects which will help transform existing assets within towns / village centres for citizen recreational, social and enterprise usage.

Eligibility

The following bodies are eligible to apply:

a. National, regional and local authorities;

b. Regional and local development agencies, chambers of commerce;

c. Universities, colleges, higher education, research institutions;

d. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs);

e. Sectoral agencies and business support organisations;

f. Voluntary sector organisations;

g. Other relevant public-like organisations contributing to the development of the programme area;

h. Private sector – specifically micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies.

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list, other bodies may be considered eligible.

Programme Area

The programme area for the PEACEPLUS Programme is:

1. Northern Ireland;
2. The border counties of Ireland (Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo).

This is the core programme area. The programme, however, has flexible geography beyond its administrative borders which is referred to as the functional area. This allows for organisations and institutions not based in the core programme area, but who work in this sector, to get involved in projects by linking with partners within the core area.  The benefits of such collaborations must be significant for the core programme area.2 Cross border collaboration is not strictly limited to the administrative borders of the Programme. It has a flexible geography depending on the sector involved.  For some other interventions, the solution is purely local, corresponding to an area much smaller than the core Programme area.

Budget

A total value of €17.1 million is available under this call. It is expected that 9 jointly developed solutions will be implemented by supported Smart Towns and Villages projects. Please note that 4 solutions have already been committed to in the previous funding call under 2.4, and the SEUPB is seeking 5 from this call.

Deadline: 7 May 2025

Full details here: https://www.accesseurope.ie/open-funds/peaceplus—investment-area-2-4—smart-towns-and-villages