Cork organisations to benefit from funding to support remote working strategy

August 16, 2021
|In Business, VAT
|By Angela O'Leary

CORK MEP Deirdre Clune has welcomed an €8.8 million investment to support remote working across Ireland under the Connected Hubs Scheme.

€4m in total for Ireland South has been ploughed into several projects by the government to develop existing remote working hubs and broadband connection points all across Ireland.

Republic of Work in Cork City, Fermoy E-Centre, The Ludgate Hub, Benchspace, Bantry E-Centre, Macroom Enterprise Centre, and Avondhu Blackwater Partnership will be among the organisations to benefit. The Grants will also fund measures to assist hubs to deal with Covid-related challenges.

It comes as more than 95 pc of working people in Ireland voiced their preference to work remotely in some form following the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings were published in a survey carried out by NUI Galway released last May.

Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune said: “I am delighted to see the Government investing in supporting remote working all across Ireland, with many places in Cork to benefit.

“In total the funding will benefit 117 projects across Ireland. Some of these projects will include the expansion of remote working hubs and help them to enhance their offerings and facilities. These hubs are of huge benefit to people who wish to work remotely and they bring significant benefits to the towns all across Ireland.”

She honed in on the benefits of remote working.

Plans are currently in place in Europe to ensure there is a long-term vision for the development of rural locations. The European Commission has also developed an initiative to set out a common European vision for 2040 which will focus on rural development.

Ms Clune acknowledged the importance of empowering rural areas in particular.

“Ensuring that rural locations continue to thrive and develop is part of a strategy at the European Union. The Commission has collected views of rural communities and businesses which has formed a comprehensive rural action plan to help rural communities over the coming years.”