EirGrid and NDRC (the National Digital Research Centre) have announced an innovative new collaboration, the Smart Grid Innovation Hub, to assist companies, entrepreneurs and academics with Smart Grid propositions to access support from both the energy and ICT industries in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The initiative aims to:

•Position the island of Ireland as the global centre of excellence in Smart Grid

•Bring new ideas from concept to market

•Facilitate the establishment of a cluster of successful Smart Grid companies

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•Create indigenous enterprise

•Leverage learning to the benefit of the power system, and customers, in Ireland and

Northern Ireland

The Innovation Hub will operate by steering strong propositions towards success, with hands-on facilitation from power industry, ICT and commercialisation experts, with a testing environment or 'sandbox' for concepts and project spaces.

Announcing the initiative at the EirGrid Customer Conference in Dundalk, Minister for

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Pat Rabbitte TD said: "I am delighted to formally launch the Smart Grid Innovation Hub, a collaborative initiative between EirGrid group and NDRC. This initiative will assist companies, entrepreneurs and academics with Smart Grid ideas access the expertise in both the energy and ICT industries in Ireland and Northern Ireland and gain assistance in developing their ideas to bring them to commercial reality."

(CD)