Fostering vibrant and inclusive economies

Connected Hubs aims to breathe new life into communities by supporting Hubs in fostering vibrant and inclusive economies. By nurturing an ecosystem where workers have the freedom to choose where they work and live, the initiative creates a positive impact on personal and family lives, reinvigorates communities, promotes economic growth, and fosters opportunities for sustainable development.
With over 350 Hubs already part of the network, offering a diverse range of services and supports, the initiative aims to expand to 400 Hubs by the end of 2024.

About the Irish Hub Network

The Hubs in the network are independent facilities offering supports specific to their locations and communities. The different types of Hubs and their drivers are explained in our Hub classification document here. Examples of Hub offerings include:

• Workspaces for remote workers, start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs and corporates. These workspaces span individual desks to private offices, meeting rooms to conference facilities.
• Specialist facilities such as podcast studios, shared kitchens for food business start-ups, maker spaces, and Fab Labs
• Business mentoring, start-up, accelerator and scale-up programmes. Access to global entrepreneurship events and programmes
• Business events, training and conferences
• Sector specific supports such as Tech, CreaTech, AgTech, Food, Future Mobilty, Research & Development of new products and services. etc.

Empowering workforce and sustainable development

At its core, Connected Hubs serves as a catalyst for economic and digital growth by promoting Hubs as vital drivers of innovation and opportunity. We provide comprehensive support to Hubs, facilitating collaboration, marketing, and promotion of their services. We provide the Hub management and booking platform www.connectedhubs.ie.
Working hand in hand with Hubs, we actively engage in policy advocacy and contribute to the strategic development of the sector. Our initiatives include forging strategic partnerships, implementing national PR and marketing campaigns, and designing programmes that benefit Hubs, their communities, and the businesses they support. Together, we're shaping the future of work and fostering thriving ecosystems across Ireland.

Background to the programme

The origins of the Connected Hubs project can be traced back to 2019 when the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) and the Western Development Commission (WDC) (the coordinating body of the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC) initiative) set out  to deliver the AEC Enterprise Hub Network project. This project sought to establish a network of Hubs across the AEC region, which would provide a range of services and support for businesses, entrepreneurs and remote workers. The success, and the clear potential, of the AEC Hubs project paved the way for the launch of the nationwide Connected Hubs platform in 2021.
The WDC has played a key role in shaping the project’s vision and guiding its implementation, assembling and providing oversight of the Connected Hubs Project Team. The team has implemented actions under the four pillars – Infrastructure, Technology, Hub Ecosystem/Community and Promotion & Marketing.

Policy background

The Connected Hubs programme is aligned with relevant government policies such as Project Ireland 2040, Our Rural Future, Making Remote Work, Town Centre First, etc. The Connected Hubs network is driven by an whole of government approach in the form of the National Hub Network Interdepartmental Steering Group.
Ireland's first National Hub Strategy, due to be launched in 2024, will set out the roadmap for the Network for the next 3 years.