The Case of Ireland-Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) – Regions and Innovation: Collaborating Across Borders

The island of Ireland, which includes both Ireland and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), is home to 6.4 million people and has a combined economic output of USD 205 billion. Several cross-border institutions were created in response to the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to recreate functional economic linkages across the border. InterTradeIreland is a rare example internationally of a cross-border entity to promote trade and innovation that is co-funded by respective governments. These efforts have led to stability in funding such programmes. The differences between the public sector driven economy in Northern Ireland and the dual economy of Ireland (outward looking multinationals and the local small and medium-sized enterprise base) are a challenge for cross-border efforts. This case study is part of the project Regions and Innovation: Collaborating Across Borders. A summary of this working paper appears in a report of the same name.