Vice-Chancellor to host launch of Bangor Business School ‘Green Economy’ project

Monday, 17th October 2011 sees the launch of Bangor Business School’s GIFT (Green Innovation Future Technologies) project, an instrument to establish a cross border forum to help grow a sustainable “green economy” in the INTERREG regions of Wales and Ireland.

GIFT is a partnership between Bangor University, the Waterford Institute of Technology and University College Dublin. The project was established in response to the Operational Programme call for “more and better jobs”…”through greater linkages between the region’s higher education institutions and industry”. It aims to bring together and up skill Welsh and Irish businesses / social enterprises and the public sector. The project is funded by the Economic Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG IVA programme.

The Green Economy includes technically-based economic activities related to environment, climate change, energy and waste management; and business activities such as tourism, which utilise the environment and can grow through green ways of working and new products.

Bangor University’s Vice Chancellor Professor John Hughes, Dr Gareth Griffiths (Bangor Business School) and Dr Morag McDonald (School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography) will host the event. Speakers will include the Welsh Government’s Gareth Hall (Director General Department for the Economy and Transport) and Wendy Boddington, Head of Sustainable Energy Policy for North Wales. There will also be a presentation from Jonathan Derham from the Environmental Protection Agency Ireland.

The launch takes place from 7.00pm on Monday, 17^th October 2011, at Ty Menai (Technium CAST), in Parc Menai, Bangor, Wales. The event is free but registration is required - click here to register via the eventbrite site.

Further information about the GIFT Project can be found on the Bangor Business School webpages.

Publication date: 13 October 2011