Boosting Rural Continuity and Digitalisation

Galway Rural Development is among the associate partners with the Munster Technical University (MTU) in the Interreg project titled ‘BOCOD: Boosting Continuity and Digitalisation of Rural Business’. The €1.5m project launched in April 2025 and will run for three years.

An ‘Interreg’ is an interregional cooperation project, with organisations from different EU countries working together on a common regional development issue.

This project aims to:

• Develop and implement innovative strategies to support business transfers and succession in rural and remote areas.

• Enhance digitalisation among SMEs to facilitate business continuity and competitiveness.

• Provide training and mentoring for business support organisations, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to improve the sustainability of rural enterprises.

Project Lead, Dr Brenda Lynch from the Hincks Centre at MTU, expressed her delight at securing the project. “This project offers an innovative approach to enhance business continuity and sustainability through digitalisation, focusing on strengthening digital skills and providing tailored support to boost competitiveness & facilitate business transfers”.

“We will be joined by a dynamic team of five partners from Finland (University of Lapland UAS, Business Joensuu Ltd, University of Oulu) and Iceland (Vestfjarðastofa: Westfjords Regional Development Office  and Austurbrú: East Iceland Regional Development Office), all committed to strengthening rural business sustainability.”

CEO of GRD Steve Dolan said “This project addresses key challenges faced by businesses in rural Ireland, Iceland, and Finland, where geographic isolation, aging populations, and declining business threatens sustainability. Along with colleagues in Finland (Pohjois-Karjalan Yrittäjät ry), we are looking forward to providing valuable insights and contributions.”