Enterprise Hubs on the Atlantic Economic Corridor

The Atlantic Economic Corridor(AEC) Enterprise Hubs Project is a three-year project which started in 2019. It aims to create an interconnected community network from the 101 hubs identified as either operating or in development, in the AEC region.

The Enterprise Hubs Project will be coordinated by the Western Development Commission (WDC) to deliver on the following key areas:

• Establish a community network between the hubs identified in the region
• Provide a suite of back office ICT infrastructure including an online booking engine
• Rollout of a Hub Improvement Plan
• Promotion and Branding
• Training and Business Development
• Promotion of Remote Working

The AEC Enterprise Hubs Network has the potential to deliver under all three of the key pillars of the wider AEC Initiative;

• developing connectivity,
• promoting innovation and
• supporting the growth of a robust and diverse economy in the region.

The WDC has conducted research which indicates that many hubs in the AEC region would benefit from becoming part of a larger hub ecosystem for the following reasons:

• Low occupancy rates in a significant number of hubs
• No centralised ICT systems
• Limited use of collaboration technology
• Limited capacity or strategy to market or promote hubs
• Access to funding
• Establishment of best practise in service provision

The AEC Enterprise Hubs Project aims to address these issues.