Athlone centre will have link-up to Harvard

A new "international centre for local and regional development" that will link third- level colleges on both sides of the Border with Harvard University in the US is to be set up in Athlone.

To be known by the acronym ICLRD, the centre is a result of discussions between government officials from North and South, the European Commission and academics from third level colleges.

One of the parties to those discussions, the regional development think-tank the Clonmacnoise Foundation, will play a large part in bringing the constituent colleges together in Athlone. These include the Centre for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design; the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth; and the School of the Built Environment at the University of Ulster. The centre will also have a close association with the Institute of Technology, Athlone.

Its backers hope that ICLRD will foster integrated regional development on the island of Ireland and "promote a culture of co-operation and networking of territories through cross-Border and inter-regional collaboration".

Publicity material says the new body will "work with local government planners, public representatives and community decision-makers to promote practical ways to revitalise regional and local economies in Irish, European and international contexts".

Funding for the centre is being sought from a number of public and private sector donors.

According to Prof Francois Vigier, of the Centre for Urban Development Studies at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, the creation of the ICLRD provides "a unique opportunity for the three academic institutions to apply their collective experience to develop effective regional and local growth management strategies in Ireland, Eastern Europe and developing countries".