Welcome to CORE – Cross-border Opportunities for a Resilient Environment.
The CORE project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The island of Ireland is a single biogeographical entity, with shared water, wildlife, flora, and fauna. Brexit has introduced regulatory divergence, complicating environmental governance, making it harder for groups on both sides of the border to work together. On top of all that, environmental groups and NGOs face similar challenges – fragmented funding, board and volunteer recruitment – no matter which side of the border they are on.
The project will help environmental groups and NGOs rise to meet these shared and interconnected challenges through training and capacity building.
The CORE project will offer:
* Training – helping your group improve leadership, governance, and other skills you’ll need;
* Knowledge exchange – giving groups and NGOs the chance to get to know and learn from each other;
* Cross-border pilot projects – supporting groups to work together in new ways, and to try out new approaches
* Mentoring opportunities
The CORE Project is open to organisations of any size working in Ireland and Northern Ireland, especially in the border counties.
Find out more about our events and how to contact us, below.
The project is led by Irish Environmental Network, in partnership with Northern Ireland Environment Link.
Sign up to the CORE mailing list
To be first to hear about our training and networking events, and to find out what’s on offer from CORE, sign up to our mailing list
Events
CORE Project Launch and Co-creation workshop, Friday 11th September 2026
Carlingford, Co. Louth
We warmly invite you all to celebrate the project launch with us on Friday the 11th of September at 10.30, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Carlingford, Co. Louth. After lunch, a co-creation workshop for environmental NGOs will be offered at Carlingford Heritage Centre. This workshop will help us get to know each other, and we will begin the work of building a shared vision for all-island environmental governance and cooperation.
10.30 – 12.30 Project Launch, Four Seasons Hotel, Carlingford
The CORE project will help environmental groups and NGOs working on the island of Ireland rise to meet shared and interconnected challenges, through training and capacity building. Ministerial Department Representatives from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, along with the CEOs of the SEUPB, IEN and NIEL will be speaking. Lunch will be provided. Register to attend here. https://forms.gle/XcfuCpPh2Yqfsjtf9
1.00 – 4.00 Co-creation workshop, Carlingford Heritage Centre
In this workshop, we’ll work with a special guest and expert in literary futures thinking to build a vision for cross-border cooperation and environmental governance on the island of Ireland. This invigorating session will bring together NGOs from the environmental sector both North and South, giving lots of the opportunities over the course of the day to make and refresh connections with allied organisations. Register to attend here. https://forms.gle/XcfuCpPh2Yqfsjtf9
Project Team
Sadhbh O’Neill, Project Manager – sadhbh@ien.ie
Ciara Fee, Project Officer – ciara@ien.ie
Sarah Bradley-Adam, Communications, Network and Monitoring Officer – sarah@nienvironmentlink.org
