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About Dublin Belfast
Economic Corridor
DBEC At A Glance
A key economic region for both Northern Ireland and Ireland.
As a gateway for Northern Irish, UK, Irish, EU and international markets, the corridor is a key strategic location for cross-border trade, serving as the only region in the world able to trade goods freely with both Great Britain and EU markets.
100
miles between two capital cities
£ 2.2 bn
in annual cross-border trading
2.2 M
population living along the corridor
5G
network and full fibre access
OUR VISION
Driving sustainable economic
growth and competition.
Our ambition is to become a leading economic corridor in Europe, achieving
sustainable growth through collaborative research and development, a highly
skilled workforce and enabling infrastructure.
Explore the corridor
An established investment destination.
The DBEC region is well connected with excellent road and rail networks, two airports and six seaports, guaranteeing excellent connectivity with Ireland, UK, Europe and the rest of the world, and its strong digital infrastructure keeps businesses connected to their staff and customers around the world too.
Active collaboration between the local government and university sectors is driving regional growth, shaping the best possible environment for businesses and people to live, to grow and to thrive.
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon
A vibrant entrepreneurial area, with a strong international focus and a wealth of exporting knowledge on a global scale.
Belfast
The capital city of NI, and the regional economic driver, Belfast is home to over 11,000 businesses.
Dublin
As the capital city and a major economic driver, Dublin is the gateway to Ireland and the European Union.
Fingal
A well-connected and fast-growing county championing technology, food, life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors.
Lisburn & Castlereagh
One of NI’s fastest growing regions, with a strong manufacturing, engineering and agri-food presence.
Louth
This strategic location supports a broad range of sectors, with high quality infrastructure and amenities, and a skilled workforce.
Meath
A region rich in history, culture, and significant economic activity, boasting modern infrastructure and amenities.
Newry, Mourne & Down
An attractive region for cross-border investment and co-operation, with a wealth of indigenous and international businesses.
dbec Partnership
Championing collaboration and growth.
We reinforce excellent cross-border working relationships between central and local government, our university and education partners, and businesses to:
- Pioneer research to identify and fill gaps in the ecosystem
- Advocate for addressing corridor-specific challenges
- Develop skills and fostering innovation to advance the region
Partnership Timeline
Eight councils have formed a collaborative partnership,
supported by two leading universities, to deliver a shared
vision of sustainable economic growth and competition.
2018
Our network of councils and universities came together to explore the concept of an Economic Corridor.
2021
A new research piece, ‘Current Profile, Potential
for Recovery & Opportunities for Co-Operation'
was published and launched.
2023
Collaborative and Funding Partnership Agreement in place, to progress the ambitions of the partnership.
Empowering economic growth
Business Supports
Find out how the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor is supporting businesses, big and small, to start up and scale up, with an abundance of business supports available across the region.
Knowledge-driven potential
Our Research
View our Partnership Strategy and Action Plan, which set out DBEC’s overall vision, key enablers and strategic objectives against which the Partnership works to to deliver corridor-specific initiatives.
Privacy Overview
