Funding programme

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.

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Call overview

This call aims to address existing and emerging skills gaps, leading to equal access to inclusive and quality services and increasing cross-border labour mobility.

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Call detail

The investment area will support area-based approaches, designed to address evidenced skills gaps, as detailed in Government national and sub-regional skills strategies. These objectives should support the goals of increased productivity and employment and higher levels of cross-border labour mobility. The PEACEPLUS Programme will build on best practice area-based models of skills development.

The Programme will enable cross-community and cross-border collaboration between education and training providers which reduce duplication and maximise the capacity of the Programme area to address existing and emerging skills gaps, and opportunities for reskilling.

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Objective

This objective will address existing and emerging skills gaps, leading to equal access to inclusive and quality services and increasing cross-border labour mobility.

It will result in the development of a flourishing Programme area workforce, with skills better aligned to existing and future growth sectors and in line with public policy.

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Funded actions

It is anticipated that the Programme will fund the following types of actions:

• 1. Area based skills strategies: Development of cross-community and cross-border strategies that are aimed at risk reduction to employment sectors and subject to job displacement through technological development, this may include the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Programme area.
• 2. Clusters for sub-area skill gaps: Schemes which enable area based cross-community and cross-border clusters to respond to the sub-area skill gaps and requirements (including reskilling and upskilling

Read more details in the call document.

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Eligibility

• National, regional and local authorities;
• Regional and local development agencies,
• Universities, colleges, higher education, research institutions;
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs, including sports and cultural bodies);
• Sectoral agencies and business support organisations;
• Voluntary sector organisations;
• Other relevant public-like organisations contributing to the development of the programme area;
• Private sector – specifically micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies.

The programme area for the PEACEPLUS Programme is:

• Northern Ireland;
• 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 called a functional area. This allows for organisations and institutions not based in the core programme area 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.

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All projects funded under the Programme Area Skills Development Programme must have a clear cross-border focus, whether that is in terms of their development or delivery.

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Budget

The total value of €50 million is available under this call. This consists of €40 million ERDF and UK ERDF equivalent funding and €10 million governmental match provided by the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Grants are available to cover 100% of the eligible costs of the project. Projects/Partners may wish to bring additional match funding into the project, applicants should seek further advice from SEUPB on this before the call closes.