Register for the masterclass here
Register for onsite networking & workshop here
- Brand new event is a collaboration between six of the country’s regional hubs supported by ConnectedHubs.ie
- The event takes place over two days and has both online and in person elements.
- The virtual event will be opened by Minister Heather Humpheys on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Today The Irish Tech Hub Network and ConnnectedHubs.ie have announced details of the first All-Ireland Hub Summit. The event, which will be the first of its kind, will take place as a hybrid event connecting over 400 hubs, co-working spaces and enterprise centres from all over the country.
The All-Ireland Hub Summit is planned to be a dynamic and educational virtual summit on 8th & 9th December and will deliver insight and inspiration for hubs at any stage of their journey across the island of Ireland.
The summit will be led by the Irish Tech Hub Network (ITHN), a network of six community-led and entrepreneurial driven hubs from Ireland and Northern Ireland who have come together to pool best practices and learnings from the years they’ve been running. Their mission is to drive ecosystem connectedness through the sharing of knowledge and resources, to help to make Ireland a true island of innovation.
ConnectedHubs.ie is proudly supporting the summit as the first of its kind, bringing together hubs with the intention of fostering a community spirit and helping hubs across the nation access the tips and resources they need to reach their next milestones faster.
Tomás Ó Síocháin CEO of the Western Development Commission, who are the organisation behind the ConnectedHubs.ie platform commented
This Summit builds on years of work from the Irish Tech Hub Network and aims to help hubs level up their impact in their local economy. Connectedhubs.ie is about sharing information between entrepreneurial hubs and hubs at all stages of development across the country. Since launching in April, the platform already has over 150 hubs on board and this Summit will not only give us the opportunity to speak directly to them, but also build on the ecosystem that will help to drive rural rejuvenation in our towns and cities.
“The Irish Tech Hub Network first came together in 2019 to share learnings and drive innovation regionally & country-wide” says Mary Rodgers, CEO of Portershed in Galway, and interim CEO for the network. “We had a focus during the pandemic on cataloguing these best practices within our own network. We’re keen to share what’s relevant with the Connected Hubs network so we can help these community hubs can grow and develop.”
“The Irish Tech Hub Network is on a mission to make Ireland a true island of innovation and hybrid working – regional connectedness is key to this” says Miriam Sweeney, ITHN Network Manager. “Hubs can be great vehicles for rural economic development, but the context of a hub in urban areas is very different to hubs in towns or villages. We have as much to learn from these hubs as they do from us and our hope is that in future years others will take the stage and showcase what they’ve learned building their own communities.”
The summit is an opportunity for hub managers or owners to meet each other both virtually and face to face while gaining insight into how the ITHN hubs built their brands and businesses to date.
The event will include virtual panel discussions, workshops, a masterclass on “Growing Your Startup Hub” as well as the opportunity to attend an in-person networking event at selected hubs, to meet other hub leaders from your local vicinity.
The in onsite event will bring hub leaders from across the country together in person in each of the 4 provinces to discuss the role hubs can play in achieving more balanced regional economic development. The event has a number of strict COVID-19 safety precautions, including limited capacity to ensure social distancing, face masks must be worn, a proof of vaccination or recent recovery must be presented on site and everyone who attends will need to undergo an antigen test when they arrive.
About the Irish Tech Hub Network
The Irish Tech Hub Network is a group of innovation-driven and community-led hubs that have a proven track record or significant potential to catalyse innovation in their region: Ludgate (Skibbereen); Republic of Work (Cork); RDI Hub (Kerry); Portershed (Galway); Ormeau Baths (Belfast); and Dogpatch Labs (Dublin).
The network’s vision is an easy-to-navigate innovation ecosystem in Ireland, where opportunities, supports and resources are open to anyone, anywhere. Its mission is to make Ireland a true island of innovation by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and resources across the network, and by working together to drive ecosystem connectedness.
Links: irishtechhubnetwork.com
