The level of engagement of Irish internet users has grown in the last year, according to a new European Union scoreboard.
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) found increases in the percentage of the population using online shopping, social networks, video calls, and consuming online news.
Read more: Irish internet users becoming more engaged - study
Ireland's Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten, T.D., awarded EUR 2.2 million to 15 community and not-for-profit organisations to provide basic digital skills training to people under his department's new Digital Skills for Citizens Grant Scheme.
The Department's Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme aims to give people the confidence, motivation and skills to take their first steps online, so that they can play their part in an increasingly digital world.
Read more: Ireland offers EUR 2.2 mln to improve digital skills
An industry collaboration in Cork has seen the creation of a new ‘Smart Gateway’ to help the country prepare for a sensor-heavy future.
Smart solutions are being investigated globally to improve everything from water management systems to traffic volumes, crowd monitoring to strains on power resources, and Cork is trying to get to the front of the queue.
Read more: IE: Cork smartening up with new ‘Gateway’ programme
As Cork and Meath’s examples have shown, regions need to come up with smart visions for their future in a way that won’t just boost their economies but the very fabric of life too, writes John Kennedy.
So, Ireland finally has a Government after 70 days of deliberation, negotiation and, at times, farce. Resembling something like a local county council, albeit with a national mandate, we have to hope the best for this minority Government and hope that internal wrangling between Fine Gael and independent TDs won’t give it a shelf life of less than 70 days.
So, after a 70-day hiatus, the busy business of running a country can finally resume.
Collaborative initiative to drive smart agenda for citizens
Creating a “smarter region” is the focus of a new collaborative initiative, Cork Smart Gateway, which launched this week. The aim of the Gateway is to develop the region as an attractive place to live, work and visit using technology to drive economic growth, improve public services and promote better engagement between residents, visitors and local authorities.