NCPC's Mid-West Regional Seminar

The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) in conjunction with Limerick Chamber and the University of Limerick organised a regional seminar on the 30^th of April 2024. The theme of the Seminar was Regional Perspectives on Competitiveness, and its purpose was to contextualise competitiveness issues at a regional level. The attendance included representatives of local businesses, Local Government officials, public representatives, and education and research providers from across the region.

This event was also attended by then Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Councillor Gerald Mitchell. 

The Seminar drew on a series of presentations about the measurement of performance at a regional level, based on Eurostat data.  These presentations outlined the performance of the Mid-West region – relative to Ireland and the EU – based on the Regional Competitiveness and Regional Innovation indices. This demonstrated that the region performs well in many areas, including Technological Readiness.

The presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion involving a number of local business owners and representatives, who were invited to identify the key issues in the region impacting them from a competitiveness perspective. Overall, the seminar was very well attended – with close to 40 participants.

There was exceptional commonality in the local competitiveness issues identified by the stakeholders in the region, both on the panel and among the attendees in the audience. The key issues discussed related to housing, public infrastructure deficits and the challenges facing commuters.

This event provides a useful template for the holding of future regional events , which the Council intends to organise in due course.