Digital Agenda Funding

Project Status: Live Project

Project Leader: Margaret Quinn

EU Programme: Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)

Project Budget:

Start Date: Mar, 2023

Finish Date: Dec, 2025

Project Website: https://data2sustain.ie/

The aim of the project is to:

Support start-ups, SMEs, other business and the public sector in their digital transformation journey, based on data and data analytics-driven innovation approaches.

Specific objectives are to:

Be a leading EDIH in the provision of digitalisation services in Circular Economy, Operations & Sustainability, based on data and data analytics driven innovation approaches helping create smarter, greener, more sustainable processes, systems, products, services and business models.
Help Realise the ambition, objectives and expected impacts specified in the Digital Europe Programme (DEP).
Contribute to the digitalisation and stimulation of broad uptake of advanced digital technologies by SMEs and POs, harnessing regional AI, HPC and Cybersecurity competences, thus contributing to regional, national, and European targets and KPIs.
Complement and build synergies with other digitalisation initiatives, projects, EDIHs, in Ireland and in Europe.
Harness, co-leverage and amplify impact from existing and complementary investment schemes in order to help create a multiplier effect, enhance spillovers and widen replication, increasing the impact of public funding.
Help realise and contribute to policy objectives in the area of Climate Change and Smart, Circular and Sustainable Economy (the European Green Deal) and other relevant policies (Innovation/Research, Sectoral etc).
Promote regional economic development towards a knowledge based digital economy, help retention and creation of jobs, help address special issues such as impact from COVID-19 Brexit and Northern and Western region being a ‘region in transition’ and ensure smart, sustainable practices across all areas. In doing so, we will build a better, enhanced, more integrated, knowledgeable innovation ecosystem, ‘interoperable’ at the European level.

Northern & Western, Ireland
Atlantic Technological University (ATU)(Lead Partner)
Higher education institute, Technological Competence Centre.


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Donegal, Ireland
Wisar Lab(Partner)
3 Technology Gateways (Wireless Sensor Applied Research Laboratory Gateway


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Donegal, Ireland
ERNACT Network(Partner)
A European networked partner with extensive experience in digital innovation in public organisations.

Margaret Quinn
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Gaeltacht, Ireland
Údarás na Gaeltachta(Partner)
Local or regional planning, economic development and investment remit.


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Galway, Ireland
University of Galway(Partner)
Higher education institute, Technological Competence Centre.


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Galway, Ireland
Insight-Centre(Partner)
Research Centre which is also designated Digital Innovation Hubs.


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Mayo, Ireland
Local Enterprise Office - Mayo(Partner)
Business support organisation representing a 
network of 8 LEOs across the region.


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Mayo, Ireland
Mayo County Council(Partner)
Local or regional planning, economic development and investment remit.


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Northern & Western, Ireland
WestBIC(Partner)
Extensive experience in provision of access to finance and innovation services.


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Northern & Western, Ireland

Western Development Commission (Partner)
Local or regional planning, economic development and investment remit.

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Northern & Western, Ireland

Northern & Western Regional Assembly (Partner)
Local or regional planning, economic development and investment remit.

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The ERNACT regions focus on adapting and transferring services, approaches or digital knowhow between regions. Please examine the following table to see a list of specific items transferred over the past few years

The majority of Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) have little knowledge of the requirements of digitalisation and are hesitant to embark on their own digital innovation projects. A thorough analysis of the digitalisation of the Irish economy demonstrates that the dissemination of good practices, exchange of experiences and qualifications as well as the possibility to undertake testing and pilot projects with the support of experts are tried and tested ways to counter such deficits.

The regional Data2Sustain European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) consortium, unique partnership approach across the Northern and Western region, is a coordinated group of organisations with complementary expertise. Partners have a common not-for-profit objective: to support start-ups, SMEs and other business, as well as the public sector in their digital transformation process.

Data2Sustain has a focus on circular economy, operations and sustainability areas, utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI), High Performance Computing (HPC) and Cybersecurity technological competence, with particular emphasis of data and data analytics driven innovation and regard to energy consumption and low carbon emissions.

The consortium combines the core competences of the higher education institutes (HEI), with the innovation and business acumen of the complementary EDIH partners. This unique partnership structure demonstrates a shared management approach between researchers, technology providers, policy makers, innovation practitioners and business support agencies.