Major EU Conference Set for Sligo This Month
- Northern Periphery & Arctic (NPA) Annual Conference will be hosted at The Model, Sligo, for the first time on 27 October, 2021
- The North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) will host the conference on behalf of the NPA.
- Free event where attendees can learn from EU funded projects across Northern Europe and discover about future funding opportunities
The Northern Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) has today announced that The Model in Sligo will host The Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme 2021 Annual Conference on Wednesday, 27th October, 2021.
This major EU conference, a first for Sligo and the North West, will be of benefit to anybody with an interest in rural and regional development, or has an interest in European funding. The event will also encourage networking with cities and regions from other European countries experiencing similar challenges to those of the North West e.g. Northern Ireland, Scotland, Finland and Iceland.
Speakers at the event include EU Ambassador at Large for the Arctic Michael Mann and Dr Irene McMaster, European Policy Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, Scotland, as well as academic arctic researchers.
The conference theme “Redefining Peripherality” will look at the recent developments in the Northern Periphery and Arctic Region, including the transformative changes triggered by the global pandemic, and how they are addressed by the NPA projects and can be addressed in the future programme.
Commenting on the event, NWRA Director David Minton said: “Covid has shown us that towns and villages in the North West that were considered ‘behind’ actually have come to prominence, and become more attractive as places to live. Covid has disrupted how we employ people, deliver healthcare, connect communities, tackle isolation and value our surroundings. We at the Northern and Western Regional Assembly are delighted that this October’s NPA Annual Event will bring our partners from across the EU together, in Sligo, to discuss the changed post-pandemic landscape and share learnings on how peripheral regions can excel. The benefits of cooperation across Arctic and near-Arctic regions also emerged during the past period showing how the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the regions played a key role in building response capacity and preparedness for the future.”
This event is free to attend and Minton is encouraging policy makers and local authority staff in the North West to register to attend. Second and third-level students are also welcome at the event.
Those with specific interests in climate change and sustainability, innovation in technology and cultural and literary tourism are also encouraged to register as these will be key themes discussed on the day.
Information about the next Interreg NPA funding programme for 2021-2027 will also be shared during the event.
Registration is essential.
For more follow #NPA2021Sligo.
