The 13th OECD Rural Development Conference was held in Cavan, Ireland on 28-30 September 2022 under the theme "Building Sustainable, Resilient and Thriving Rural Places". These are the presentations from the main Conference session "Beyond Recovery: Remote Work and Opportunities for Rural Communities". For more information visit https://www.oecd.org/rural/rural-development-conference/.

1. Beyond Recovery: Remote Work
And Opportunities For Rural
Communities
CEO of The Western
Development
Commission
Ó SÍOCHÁIN
TOMÁS

2. WE ARE
WHO
Sustainable Enterprise
Long-term view to build on the success of our evergreen
Investment Fund, valued at €90m. Our goal in the next five years
is to extend our investment and lending and to create a platform to
develop a global competitive advantage for the region in key
areas.
Regional Promotion
In the short term, our focus is to raise the profile of the region
and tell our story to a wider audience, particularly those
seeking to live or work here. Storytelling is key and we do this
through content creation, PR, social media and recently
through our own TV show called 'Moving West.'
Regional leadership
This includes our medium-term goals to build cohesion across
the region, through significant projects. It also covers policy
analysis of key regional issues and both national and EU
projects that explore new ways of working and provide the
platform for forward thinking and regional resilience.
40% | 20%
Of landmass | of population

3. The Pilot – What is a hub? Connectedhubs.ie
3-year project to develop a network from over 100 hubs
identified in the AEC region. Initial Budget of €1million
What initially started out as four hubs in the West of Ireland
has resulted in a national network. 283 hubs onboarded with a
target of 400 in 2023.
key themes included
infrastructure, funding,
technology, centralised
ICT system, marketing &
promotion.
Centralised ICT System with
end-to-end booking.
Partnership with
Zoom, Cisco & others.
First national campaign live
Project developed a
classification system for
hubs, established a hub
community network and
a hub improvement
plan.
€100m invested in network.
Over 1000 managers engaged
on bi-weekly meet ups
National voucher system,
second phase, now live.

5. GTEIC@ Béal an
Mhuirthead
gteic@Béal an Mhuirthead is located on the Údarás
na Gaeltachta Business Park in the Mayo Gaeltacht
in the west of Ireland.
• One of Ireland’s most remote communities
• An Irish (Gaelic) speaking community
• Broadband as a key enabler
• One Irish company relocation – 40 jobs
• A culture of entrepreneurship – case studies
recently highlighted in national media
• Higher skilled roles [WDC 2022]
• Broader talent pool and awareness [GrowRemote]

6. REMOTE WORK AND
NATIONAL POLICY
Our Rural Future National Remote Work Survey
Our Rural Future represents the Irish Government’s blueprint
for a post-COVID-19 recovery and development of rural Ireland
over the next 5 years
Our policy team in partnership with the National University
Galway have released three National Remote Work surveys
since 2021.
ConnectedHubs is a now key deliverable of the policy.
Right to request remote work - Making Remote Work
Redressing the skills imbalance and creating a career
path
8,500 responses in 2021 – 95% in favour of remote work
Hubs address isolation | motivation | workspace
Circa 10% have relocated and more than a quarter are
actively considering it - higher skilled workers

7. SUCCESS
MEASURING
Economic Impact
Gigabit connectivity | 26 counties | 200 jobs @ €50k
1,040 businesses | 5,200 direct | 3,600 indirect |
€312m impact
Economist Jim Power, Vodafone Ireland
Next steps – new environment
What is the sustainable economic impact?
What is the optimal number of hubs per location?
What is the societal and environmental / climate benefit?
Corporate Focus
In Q4 of this year we will announce a partnership with Irish and
global corporate leaders, many of them based in them Dublin.
The project will identify the challenges and opportunities of
staff working from hubs across regional and rural Ireland and
act as a pilot to show others the benefits.

8. Innovation Partnerships
Working with Cisco and others, the
Western Development Commission is
trialing virtual healthcare on an offshore
island, creating smart and connected
communities in one of Ireland's oldest
towns and testing technology to enhance
the hub network.
Regional Development
Carbon Assist - Measuring carbon
emissions when remote working and
measuring time given back to the
community, societal benefit
Platform for public and private services
Commercial
Parnterships
Commercial partnerships with global
leaders such as Zoom adds value to the
Connected Hubs network for users. It also
allows Zoom and others to reach a new
audience becoming a win/win.
SUSTAINABILITY
PATH TO

9. THANK YOU
MERCI
GO RAIBH MAITH AGAIBH
WEST OF IRELAND AS TESTBED
FOR INNOVATION
PARTERSHIPS WITH GLOBAL
BRANDS
GOVERNMENT
POLICY & RESEARCH
BUILDING GLOBAL
COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
BUILDING A
SUSTAINABLE
ECOSYSTEM
Tomás Ó Síocháin
CEO of The Western Development Commission
Beyond Recovery: Remote Work And Opportunities For Rural Communities